Tales of a Former Dark Lord
by SweetiePea
Summary: Knights of the Old Republic/KotOR--The Jedi Council has selected newly minted Padawan Brinna Warrim to track down the mysterious Star Forge. But is Brinna really cut out to be a Jedi? Is the Council being forthcoming with her?
1. Trouble with Gorgeous, Paranoid Pilots

**Big Fat Disclaimer: **I do not own Knights of the Old Republic or Star Wars. That honor belongs to BioWare and George Lucas. The only part of this story that's mine is the character of Brinna Warrim. All other characters are the creations of the genius developers of BioWare, as is some of the dialogue in this story, which I lifted word from word from the game. I lay the blame for my obsession squarely at their feet. :)

**A/N: **A huge thank you to my girl Cheyana, who is my beta reader extraordinaire. Thank you for the feedback and thanks for pushing me to get off my lazy butt and keep on writing. :)

_There was a look of determination on the young woman's face. She held a yellow lightsaber in her hand and every muscle in her body was tensed, prepared to fight. Her eyes flashed as she swung the lightsaber in a mighty arc, connecting with the Dark Jedi. Her aim was true and her blow devastating. The Dark Jedi crumpled at her feet…_

Brinna groaned as she slowly regained consciousness, the threads of her dream slipping away from her. She was disoriented, unable to remember what had happened to her. As she tried to move, her body protested, causing her to groan once more. It felt like she'd been hit by a cargo ship. A very large cargo ship. A very large cargo ship that was very full of cargo.

"Take it easy," a male voice told her. "You hit your head pretty hard. Don't try to rush anything."

_Take it easy? Who the hell is that?_ Brinna wondered, her eyes popping open as she sat bolt upright, searching for the source of that voice. Her vision was somewhat blurry and she saw only the faintest outline of someone in an orange jacket.

"Or don't. It's your choice," the voice said dryly.

She didn't reply to the comment because her mind was suddenly focused on a single, panicked thought: _my necklace!_ Raising a frantic hand to her neck, she groped around until her fingers brushed against the worn leather lace and only then could she relax and focus on what was currently happening to her. She exhaled slowly, calming herself before speaking.

"Who are you?" she asked, closing her eyes again and wincing as she gingerly rubbed the back of her neck.

"I'm Carth, Carth Onasi," he told her.

She scanned her memory but came up blank. Carefully, she opened her eyes and looked once more in the direction of the voice. She managed to keep herself from gaping, but just barely. Standing not too far from her bed was the source of that sexy voice and his appearance was a great match for his voice. Deciding that maybe there was some advantage to sustaining a head injury after all, she allowed herself a moment to take in his handsome, rugged face, his gorgeous brown eyes, and the dark hair that was brushed back save for a couple of unruly strands that fell over his forehead.

"Right, Carth," she said, the memory finally coming back to her. He was the guy on the Endar Spire, the one who'd been in the final escape pod with her. "I heard you on my communicator, right after Trask burst in on me in my underwear."

The look on Carth's face would have been priceless had she not been tempted to inflict another head injury upon herself. What could possibly have possessed her to say that? Maybe Carth would chalk that comment up to damage incurred thanks to the head injury. At least she could hope so, anyway.

A sudden thought occurred to her and her gaze snapped back up to Carth's. "Oh no! Trask…he didn't make it, did he?"

Carth's expression turned from bewilderment to one of regret mingled with anger. "No, he didn't. All I know for sure is that you and I made it out alive."

"Trask threw himself at the mercy of a Dark Jedi so that I could get off the ship," Brinna said, trying her best to speak around the painful lump in her throat. She had only known him for those brief few minutes on the ship and yet he had sacrificed himself so that she could escape. She made a vow to herself that she would never forget what he had done.

Carth nodded soberly. "I'm not surprised," he said, softly. "There were a lot of good people on that ship. The Sith will pay for what they did but right now we have to focus on finding Bastila before the Sith do. I'm working on the assumption that she made it, although the only thing I've been able to learn so far is that a Republic escape pod crashed in the Undercity. I have no idea if it was hers or if she made it or not."

_Bastila…Bastila…_she thought, her head throbbing as she once again probed her memory. Try as she might, she couldn't for the life of her remember who Bastila was and so she told Carth as much.

He seemed very concerned about the extent of her injuries as she made this confession to him. After a few more minutes of conversing with him, however, everything started to come back to her. She had been sent on a mission with Bastila, the Jedi who was the key to the Republic war effort against the Sith. When the Sith had bombed the Endar Spire into oblivion, she and Carth had managed to escape in the last pod but she had been injured when they crash landed on Taris, which explained both her physical and mental state. Carth told her he'd managed to drag her from the wreckage of the pod and she couldn't help but marvel at the thought of her life having been saved twice in one day and by two different people at that.

After Carth brought her back up to date, she ventured a question about him and was instantly made to understand that the man was basically all business. He was polite enough as he declined to tell her anything about himself but she could sense the tension in him and the fact that he had refused to answer more because he was being evasive rather than because he was concerned about taking a moment out to talk to her. Evidently he was one of those guys who was close-mouthed about himself and who wanted nothing more than to focus on the task at hand. Fine, she could do that. So sue her for trying to be a little friendly!

She turned her attention from Carth to the footlocker and workbench in the abandoned apartment he'd found to serve as their base. There was a strange and unpleasant odor in the place that she tried her best to ignore. She supposed squatters couldn't be choosers and, at any rate, she'd encountered much worse deprivation while scouting the galaxy. A textbook example of this was the really bad chop job she'd given her raven-colored hair courtesy of her trusty vibroblade. When working for the Republic during wartime, one did not often have the opportunity to receive a professional haircut, after all. A girl had to do what a girl had to do. Of course, as she tied her hair back before beginning work on her vibroblade, several large chunks of it broke free of her hair tie. Ah well, vanity be damned; her hair was the least of her worries at the moment.

It was obvious that Carth was anxious to be off so she didn't delay long at the workbench. She didn't need to anyway. Her fingers were deft as she worked. Years of experience had made it so that she could probably close her eyes and work on her blade without inflicting a single cut on herself. Now did not seem to be the time to test this theory though.

Naturally, as luck would have it, she and Carth ran into trouble as soon as they stepped out of the apartment door. A Sith patrol was harassing a couple of Duros and Brinna watched incredulously as one of them was murdered before her eyes. Her thoughts turned to poor Trask throwing himself at the mercy of that Dark Jedi and she felt a flash of serious anger. The accompanying adrenaline rush served her well in the next few minutes as the patrol turned their attention to her and Carth, forcing them into a brief battle. However, she was not so preoccupied that she failed to notice Carth's prowess with his own vibroblades. He could probably give her a run for her money.

The surviving Duros was so grateful for their assistance that he said he'd hide the Sith bodies. Brinna expressed her gratitude to him and her condolences on the death of his friend before she and Carth left.

"Your service record wasn't kidding about your abilities with alien languages," Carth remarked as they made their way around the circular corridor of apartments.

Brinna shrugged. "Just comes naturally, I guess."

"Where did you find the time to learn them all?"

"I don't really know. I never really had to study them or anything. I just sort of picked them up as I went."

Carth frowned at her. "I've been to a lot of different worlds and I haven't managed to pick up a quarter of the languages that you know," he said, something like doubt or suspicion creeping into his voice.  
"Yeah, well, don't hate me because I'm smarter than you," she shot back at him, her rather short temper getting the best of her. What was with the guy? He had to be the jumpiest, most uptight man she'd ever met.

To her surprise, he smiled. "I won't. After all, you are sadly lacking in battle skills when compared to me."

Brinna gave him a subtle once-over out of the corner of her eye. _Maybe he's not as uptight as I thought. This could be fun… _

"I highly doubt that," she replied, cocking an eyebrow and smirking at him.

He looked like he wanted to respond but there wasn't much opportunity for further conversation as she broke into an apartment immediately after her last comment. She always did like having the last word.

The apartment they stumbled into was inhabited by a nervous young woman named Dia. It was obvious to Brinna that Dia was seriously frightened about something and Brinna felt a rush of compassion for her. She managed to persuade Dia into telling her that she was worried because a creep named Holdan had placed a bounty on her head after she'd defended herself against his advances. Brinna immediately promised to do her best to get the bounty removed.

"This planet is unbelievable," she told Carth as they continued with scouting the other apartments. "As if the Sith occupation is not bad enough, there's all sorts of prejudice against aliens, to the point that they're all considered illegal, and there's a vicious crime lord who allows his goons to place bounties on the heads of women who need to use force to fend off those goons' advances."

"I can't say I'm too impressed with what I've seen so far either," Carth agreed. "I'm glad we stumbled on that poor woman. The thought of what she's been put through just makes my blood boil."

"I'd like to introduce that Holdan to my own vibroblade," Brinna muttered.

"Yeah, well, I'd be glad to help you with that."

Their conversation was temporarily halted as they continued with their scouting. The more she saw and learned of Taris, the more Brinna's sense of distaste increased. She felt sincerely sorry for the aliens who were trapped here. She wished she could take them all with her when she managed to break her way free of this sorry excuse for a planet.

Once they were finished with the apartments near theirs, they made their way out into the city. As they headed toward Kebla Yurt's shop, where Kadir the janitor had told them they would be able to purchase supplies, Brinna felt her curiosity overtake her once again and, almost before she knew what she was doing, she was asking Carth more questions about himself. Though she practically had to pry it out of him, she did manage to learn that he had been a star pilot for the Republic for some time and that he was from Telos, which had been destroyed by the Sith. Brinna listened in grim silence. She remembered hearing about the Sith devastation of Telos. In her opinion, only cowards and unspeakably evil people attacked civilian targets and killed innocents.

She really wanted to ask Carth something more but he made it clear to her that he wasn't used to talking about his past and that he'd prefer she ask more about it later. Had he known her better, he would not have said this to her. He probably figured that she'd lose interest and not bother to ask him anything more but he knew nothing of her tenacity. Carth had said something very strange about how he had failed "them" during the fall of Telos and Brinna had latched onto that one word. There was an enormous amount of pain in Carth, so much that it was almost palpable and Brinna was determined to discover its source.

Brinna had always had good senses when it came to others. Her mother had often marveled at it because she had always been unable to hide anything from her daughter, even when Brinna was a very young child.

"I don't know whether I should be glad or resentful of your ability to read my emotions," her mother had once said, exasperated.

"I'd go with glad," Brinna had told her. "Why should anyone have to suffer alone? Maybe it's none of my business…"

"When has that ever stopped you?" her mother had asked, with a rueful shake of her head and a fond smile. "Ah, Brinna, your heart is good. You just can't stand to see anyone unhappy."

"I can't stand to see _you_ unhappy," Brinna had corrected her.

But her mother had been right, she couldn't stand to see anyone unhappy. She had always been impetuous because of this. The moment she sensed there was something wrong with someone, she would basically badger them until she learned exactly what it was and then she would do her best to help console them. Whenever she'd witnessed some sort of injustice being committed against another, she'd rushed in with fists—and, later, vibroblades—blazing.

Naturally, Taris disgusted her to her very core. It was such a seething hotbed of corruption and vice that it was as if the very essence of the place coated her skin. Of all the planets in the galaxy to crash land, why did it have to be this cesspool?

Kebla Yurt was most helpful not only with the supplies they needed for their mission but also with information. They learned more about the swoop gangs and Davik Kang from her, as well as some other general information about the planet. She was a nice woman and Brinna felt that it was a crying shame that her business was so compromised by the Sith presence on the planet and by the necessity of paying a "protection fee" to Davik.

The most interesting part of the day occurred when they ran into a young Sith officer named Yun Genda in the cantina. Brinna wouldn't exactly describe herself as a seductress but she wasn't above using feminine wiles when it suited her and it definitely suited her on this occasion. She had sensed immediately that she piqued his interest and Yun was quite responsive to her sweet-talk and phony sympathy. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Carth making a face and it was all she could do to stop herself from smiling in response.

_Like a little of that yourself, Mr. Onasi? _she thought. _Don't count on it any time soon. You have to prove yourself worthy first._

After promising Yun she'd show up at his party that evening, Brinna glanced at Carth and saw that he appeared to be in deep thought. He noticed her glance and started, as if he'd been in his own world and only just noticed her existence.

"Something wrong?" Brinna asked.

Carth frowned. "We could use some credits. I was just trying to figure out what we could do to earn some."

"That's a good question," Brinna said, frowning in turn.

They entered the next room of the cantina and found it filled with viewscreens. Curious, Brinna wandered over to one of them and saw that they were tuned in to an arena where two male competitors were engaged in a duel. It was over in a matter of seconds, as the older duelist was clearly no match for the younger one.

"That's interesting…" Brinna murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I think we should go talk to that Hutt over there," she said, moving to the back of the room, Carth following in her wake.

The Hutt introduced himself as Ajuur and explained that he was responsible for running the duels. He promised that no one ever died during the duels and though Carth expressed some disbelief over this, Brinna's mind began working overtime. By the time Ajuur suggested she step into the ring, Brinna had already begun to calculate how much she could earn. She accepted his offer and though Carth agreed that it was for the best, she could see that he was a little bit worried about the whole idea.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her as she adjusted her combat suit and gave her vibroblades a few practice swings.

"I'm positive. You said it yourself, we can use these credits."

"I know but I don't place much confidence in that Hutt," he said, casting a dubious glance at Ajuur.

"Neither do I but this is the best chance we've found so far for collecting a few credits. Seems the only people other than the duelists making money on this planet are the Sith and Davik's henchmen. I'm quite sure you'd rather not try earning your keep courtesy of those last two choices."

Carth grimaced. "Just be careful," he told her.

"I didn't know you cared," she said, in a voice of mock-breathlessness. With a dramatic flourish, she put a hand over her heart and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"I just wouldn't want to see that combat suit get scratched," he told her, smiling seemingly in spite of himself.

"Thanks a lot," she said, dryly.

She spent the next couple of hours working her way through the first three ranks of Taris's dueling circuit. By the time she had finished with Ice, she was banged and bruised but feeling pretty smug about the six hundred credits she'd managed to earn for them. She was seriously tempted to try her hand at another duel and Carth had to practically drag her away.

"Come on, you've earned enough for now," he told her. "We need to get moving on our search."

"Fine, but only if you'll answer a few more of my questions," she told him.

"Fine, fine, but not until we get out of this cantina," he replied.

The second they stepped outside, she pounced. She stared at him incredulously as he called her "beautiful." Was he flirting with her or was he being flip? She studied him through narrowed eyes as she tried to determine which it was and, before she could stop herself, her temper flared and she threatened to relieve him of one or both of his ears if he called her "beautiful" again.

_The more abuse I dish, the more this guy loves it,_ she thought in amazement as he laughed and then provoked her again by calling her "gorgeous." Now she was positive that he was trying to divert her but, in spite of herself, she found that she was taking his bait and repaying his compliments with insults. She found, to her surprise, that she was really enjoying herself, although that quickly evaporated once his paranoia started to assert itself once again and he began questioning her about what had occurred on the Endar Spire and about her last-minute assignment to the ship.

His assertion that Bastila's party had specifically requested her presence jolted her, though she tried her best to hide it. As soon as they were moving again and Carth's attention was otherwise occupied, she frowned and tried to remember what she'd been told when she had been assigned the Endar Spire mission. Try as she might, however, she could not remember what reason she had been given for her presence and, in truth, could not even remember being assigned to the mission in the first place.

_I must have amnesia,_ she thought, unconsciously rubbing her forehead. Yet she could not help but feel unsettled. It was very, very strange that there was a hole in her memory, that she could not remember the days leading up to her boarding of the Endar Spire.

She didn't have much time to worry about it, though, because she soon found herself doing the best she could to single-handedly rescue every person on Taris who had managed to get themselves in trouble with Davik. Carth was not thrilled with the credits that she freely disbursed and though she, too, was worried about having enough credits to get by, she knew that she simply would not be able to live with herself if she stood back and let the poor unfortunates be hunted down and killed by Davik.

"Just think, we get to end this great day by going to that Sith party!" Brinna told Carth as they wearily walked to the apartment Yun Genda had marked on her map.

"Partying with the Sith. That will be a first for me," Carth said, with an expression of distaste.

"It's not exactly how I'd like to spend my night either but maybe we'll learn something from them," Brinna said, with a shrug. "It just seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up."

"Yeah, well, the sooner we get there the sooner it'll all be over."

Loud music pounded through the corridor as they reached the apartment. Yun greeted Brinna by raking her up and down with his gaze and Brinna forced what she hoped was a flirtatious smile on her face. She tried her best not to yawn as he extolled the virtues of Tarisian ale, ending his ode with a declaration that the Sith should have conquered the planet sooner. Brinna could practically hear the air crackling with the tension Carth was giving off as she let out a phony peal of laughter for Yun's benefit.

"Here you are," Yun said, handing her a glass of the aforementioned Tarisian ale.

"Thank you," Brinna said, graciously. She pretended to take a sip as Yun cast another inappropriate glance at her. She felt like shoving the glass down his throat but managed to restrain herself.

To her dismay, she wasn't able to get any useful information out of Yun or any of the other Sith. It didn't look as though Carth was having much luck either. With every glass of ale the Sith drank, they became louder, sloppier, and more obnoxious. Just when Brinna was reaching the limits of her patience, the Sith began to pass out, almost simultaneously.

"Finally. I thought it would never end," she muttered to Carth as they surveyed the room full of prone, drunken bodies.

"Tell me about it. The Sith ought to torture their prisoners by sending them to junior officers' parties. These people were, without a doubt, the most boring, annoying people I have ever met."

"I can't quite agree with you there," Brinna said, unable to resist getting a jab in at him. _This is far too much fun for you,_ she scolded herself.

"Really?" Carth asked, studying her with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I am traveling with you, after all," she said to him.

"Watch it. If you're not careful I may just leave you here with them," Carth said, grinning and gesturing toward the Sith.

Brinna made a face. "In that case, I guess I'll try being nice to you for a while," she said, sweetly. "Ah, what have we here?" she asked, as she dug through one of the officers' packs. She pulled a Sith uniform out and looked over at Carth with a triumphant smile.

"See, this night wasn't a total loss. I have no doubt we could get some good use out of this," she told him.

"Fine, fine, you win," he said. "Can we get out of here now?"

"Immediately," she said, moving out of the apartment as quickly as she was able.

She and Carth found themselves some food at the cantina but elected to take it back to their apartment. They had a lot to talk about and neither of them really felt like being surrounded by the noise in the cantina.

As they were both famished, neither of them spoke a word for the first several minutes after they began eating. For the first few bites, Brinna was simply too hungry to notice how horrible the food was but it didn't take long before she was unable to bear it any longer.

"This is, without a doubt, the worst thing I have ever eaten," she said, pushing the food away from her.

"I think it's delicious," Carth replied.

"You do?" she asked incredulously.

"Maybe if I were completely lacking taste buds."

Brinna just couldn't help herself. It had been a long, stressful day and she found that she wasn't able to contain herself any longer. She threw her head back and laughed long and hard at Carth's words.

"I didn't think it was that funny," he said, laughing along with her.

"It wasn't. This was just such an…um…interesting day," she said, trying to catch her breath.

"That it was," Carth agreed.

"Ah well, it's over now. And the good news is that we get to get up and do it all again tomorrow," Brinna chirped brightly.

"Don't remind me," Carth groaned.

"It's not so bad. You are with me, after all," she told him, winking broadly at him.

"Lucky me," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, you could be stuck with someone like Ajuur."

"Yeah, well, he'd probably hassle me less than you."

"Yes, but I'm cuter than him."

"Just barely," he said.

"Thank you very much," Brinna said in mock-outrage. She tossed a bit of paper at Carth, who ducked and laughed.

"You're very welcome."

"No wonder you're such a hit with all the ladies," Brinna told him, laughing as well. "You're clearly the dependable and encouraging sort."

The effect her words had on Carth shocked her. His eyes, which had been appealingly crinkled up at the corners in laughter, suddenly darkened with pain and he winced as if she'd hit him.

"Carth," she said, stunned. "I'm sorry, I…"

"Why don't you go ahead and get some sleep?" he asked, in a strained voice as he turned away from her. "I'll keep watch first."

She opened her mouth to try once again to apologize but something about the defeated slouch of his shoulders stopped her. After all the playful insults they'd been launching at one another all day, she couldn't imagine what it was about her latest that had hurt him as deeply as it had. She wished she could take the words back so that she could see his eyes lit up with laughter once again. It was unbearable to see someone look as though he was suffering as much as Carth seemed to be suffering at the moment.

_I'll figure you out, Carth Onasi,_ she vowed silently. _I'll figure you out if it kills me._


	2. A Brush with Stardom & The Bek Base

Brinna woke slowly the next morning. She felt incredibly rested, which made her frown. She opened her eyes and saw Carth sitting on the other side of the apartment. He was staring in the general direction of the door but didn't seem to be focused on it. Feeling slightly guilty, Brinna studied him for a moment, allowing herself to tune in to his emotions. They were a jumble of guilt, sorrow, and anger and she suddenly remembered what had happened between them the previous night and turned away from him. It wasn't right for her to infringe on his privacy like she had, she decided; however, that didn't mean that she intended to stop trying to get him to tell her why he had the trust issues he had.

She turned her gaze away from him and purposefully made some noise so that he would know she was awake and would have a moment to collect himself. Pushing her disheveled hair out of her face, she rose from the bed and stretched before speaking to him.

"Why didn't you wake me last night? You haven't had a wink of sleep," she said, in a gently accusatory tone.

"I don't sleep much," was his terse reply.

"Listen, Carth, I'm really sorry about last night. I didn't mean anything by what I said. I mean, after the conversations we had all day, I just figured…" Brinna trailed off lamely. She could not think of how to say what she wanted to say and she felt pretty foolish even trying.

"It's not your fault," he said, softly.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I just hope I didn't offend you," she said, meeting his gaze directly.

"You didn't," he said, gazing steadily at her in return.

"Oh, okay. Well, good," she said. She was exasperated by her own feeble attempts to talk to him so she turned away from him and moved over toward the window, looking out at the upper city as she finger-combed her hair and then pulled it back.

"We need to figure out a way to get into the lower city today," Carth said, his tone suddenly all business. "There's a guard at the elevator door. No one gets by without the proper clearance."

"You know, I'm thinking I'll look pretty spectacular in that Sith uniform," Brinna mused, turning back to face him once again.

"What?" he asked, staring at her in disbelief.

A slow smile spread over her face. "Don't you think so?"

"I don't know what to think right now," he told her, studying her suspiciously.

She laughed. "Relax, Carth. I'm thinking that once I put that Sith uniform on it will be clearance enough to get us past the guard at the elevator, don't you?"

Comprehension dawned on his face and he suddenly smiled in return. "Ah, very clever," he told her.

"See, I'm good for something once in a while," she told him. She was very relieved and very glad to see him smiling again.

"Yeah, I guess you aren't as useless as I thought," he said, grinning mischievously at her.

"Puh-lease. If it weren't for me and my amazing flirtatious powers we wouldn't even have that uniform, flyboy."

"Oh, right," he said, rolling his eyes. "I forgot how hard it was for you to sweet talk that Sith."

"Well, thanks a lot! Here I was thinking I'm oh so irresistible and you're telling me that Sith was just desperate and that's why he was so quick to cozy up to me."

"If the shoe fits…" Carth said, and she could see that he was holding back a laugh.

"Need I remind you that you're the one who referred to me as 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous' yesterday?" she asked, haughtily. She was very gratified to see that she had managed to pull him out of his melancholy mood. He seemed to be enjoying himself and, in her opinion, the man was desperately in need of a good time.

"Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head," he told her.

Brinna felt herself blushing slightly. She had expected some sort of smart aleck comment in return, not a renewal of his original compliments. Carth turned a bit red as well and seemed suddenly conscious of what he'd said.

"We'd better get going," he said, turning away from her to gather his equipment.

"Yeah, you're right. Besides, I'm anxious to model that fabulous Sith uniform," Brinna said, doing her best to change the topic and dispel some of the awkwardness that had suddenly cropped up between them.

They made their way out of the apartment without incident and wove through the throngs of people walking through the upper city. They stopped by the medical facility to stock up on some medpacs before attempting to gain entrance into the lower city. As soon as they stepped into the place, Brinna could sense the nervousness that was rolling off Zelka Forn in waves. He gave them some information about the rakghoul disease that was plaguing the undercity and expressed his wish that he could get his hands on some of the serum that the Sith were hording. Brinna was not offended when she promised to do her best to get some and he snapped at her in return. The Sith made everyone on Taris jumpy.

However, this was not the true source of Zelka's nervousness and Brinna knew it. He stumbled over his words and was rather evasive when Brinna asked him if he knew anything about the crashed escape pods. She knew instantly that this was the true source of his nervousness and she was finally able to coax his secret out of him: he had several wounded Republic soldiers hidden in the back of the facility where he was doing his best to treat them. Brinna gazed sadly at the wounded soldiers as Zelka informed them of the severity of the men's wounds and Carth expressed his gratitude that they were at least in compassionate hands.

As they left the facility, they were stopped by Gurney, Zelka's assistant. Brinna disliked him instantly. He glanced around shiftily before whispering to her that Davik would make it a lot more worth her while if she were to turn the rakghoul serum over to him. She glared at Gurney with unconcealed disgust as she told him that she would be giving the serum to Zelka.

"It's unconscionable," Carth said, shaking his head in anger as they continued on through the city. "I don't know how men like Davik can sleep at night. How could anyone get rich off the suffering of others as he does?"

"I'd rather not think about it," Brinna told him. "I really would rather not understand the depths of that sort of depravity."

"This planet seems full of it, doesn't it?" he asked.

As if to prove the truth of his words, they were suddenly accosted by a drunken trio who derisively referred to them as "shlummies." Brinna took a deep breath and did her best to keep her temper in check. She decided that the best way to deal with them was to play along with them and so she offered to buy them a drink. To her relief, her offer met with a favorable response until one of the men reminded the other two that they were late for something and needed to get going.

Not ten minutes later they ran into a man by the name of Gorton Colu who was spouting off about the aliens on Taris, using every invective in his limited vocabulary. Brinna openly expressed her disgust with him and Carth almost had to haul her bodily away from the man.

"You're not very good at this not drawing attention to yourself stuff, are you?" he asked her.

She sighed and made a face. "No, I guess not. I just can't stand people like that. I can't resist the temptation to put them in their place."

"Your open-mindedness and sense of justice are admirable but you really do need to watch yourself. We don't want anyone making any unnecessary trouble for us," he gently admonished her.

"I know. I'm sorry," Brinna said, contritely.

"Don't be. Just try to control that temper of yours," he said, smiling at her.

"I'll try," she promised. "Now wait here a second. I need to go find an inconspicuous corner so I can put this Sith uniform on."

"Right. I'll keep watch."

Brinna found a hidden spot and looked at the uniform with distaste for a moment before putting it on. The last thing she wanted was to be mistaken for a Sith and now here she was posing as one.

_Whatever it takes,_ she thought, with a sigh.

"Come on," she said, as soon as she reached Carth. "I don't want to have to wear this thing any longer than absolutely necessary. I can't even describe what it smells like in here. I think a bantha last wore this uniform."

Carth laughed and Brinna smiled in spite of herself. Of course, he couldn't see it as her face was concealed by the helmet, which was about two sizes too large for her. Her efforts paid off, though. The Sith guard bought the ruse and even made a point of warning her to be careful down in the lower city, reminding her that the swoop gangs pretty much had the run of the place.

_They may be scum but they still rate higher on my list of admirable creatures than you do,_ Brinna thought as she saluted the guard and moved into the elevator. As soon as they reached the undercity, Brinna found herself another obscure corner and changed out of the uniform.

"I'd rather kiss a Hutt than wear that thing again," she muttered to Carth as they moved out into the corridor.

"I could probably arrange that, if you'd like," he said, amused.

She opened her mouth to retort but it seemed that they had stumbled upon a little tiff between some members of the Hidden Beks and the Black Vulkars. It did not appear to be the Beks' lucky day and the Vulkars made short work of them before turning their attention to Brinna and Carth.

_Fabulous. When will we learn to stop walking into the middle of things?_ Brinna wondered as she swung her vibroblades and proceeded to slice and dice her way through the Vulkars.

"Well, that was fun," Carth said, wincing and clutching at a wound on his right arm.

"Here," Brinna said breathlessly, tossing a medpac over to him before using one herself. "We're like a magnet for trouble."

"Speak for yourself. My life was simple before I met you," he told her, rolling his eyes at her.

"And a lot more boring," she responded, sweetly.

"True enough," he admitted with a smile. "But I could probably do without all this excitement."

"_Sure_ you could. You thrive on it," she told him. "Stick with me and there'll never be a dull moment."

Her words proved to be prophetic as the moment they walked into Javyar's Cantina they ran into yet more excitement in the form of a very short man named Calo Nord, who made short work of three Black Vulkars. This must have been a pretty commonplace occurrence because the people in the cantina barely looked up as Nord obliterated the Vulkars. As he stepped out of the cantina, Nord cast a glance at Brinna and she felt a chill in spite of herself. He looked rather small and insignificant but Nord obviously had no qualms about killing when it suited him.

"That was quite a show," Carth muttered.

Brinna nodded her agreement and, with one last glance at the dead Vulkars, made her way into another room in the cantina. A band was playing on a small stage and there were a couple of Twi'lek dancers gyrating to the obvious pleasure of the observers in the room.

_Men, they're so predictable,_ Brinna thought, rolling her eyes. She was about to turn and walk right back out of the room when one of the men in it caught her eye and began talking to her. It turned out that he was the Holdan that Dia had spoken of the previous day and it did not take long for Brinna to understand why Dia had used her vibroblade against him. He was every bit the pig Dia had declared him to be and Brinna was quite proud of the restraint she exhibited in talking to him. Carth didn't seem to be too fond of Holdan either and Brinna decided she had best wrap up business with Holdan as quickly as possible before either she or Carth did or said something they might regret. She was able to convince Holdan to lift the bounty on Dia's head in exchange for 200 credits and she blew out an angry breath as Holdan left the room to tell Zax to lift the bounty.

"Am I wearing a sign or something?" Brinna asked a confused Carth.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I just feel like the words 'Attention slimeballs: please hit on me' must be tattooed on my forehead or something."

Carth laughed at her. "You do seem to have a knack for attracting their attention."

"I'm glad you find this so funny," she told him, impatiently pushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Carth said, not looking the least bit sorry.

"You'll get yours in the end, I promise you," Brinna grumbled.

Carth smiled and opened his mouth to reply to her but his attention was attracted by something else in the cantina and his smile changed to a frown. "Come on, let's see what's going on over there with that Twi'lek girl and those Rodians," he said. Brinna saw his grip on his vibroblades tighten.

It seemed that the Twi'lek didn't need their help, though. Even though she smarted off to the Rodians, who were less than pleased, it turned out that she had a Wookie as a companion. Brinna couldn't help but smile and shake her head as the Rodians scurried off and it seemed that Carth was just as impressed by what they had seen.

The young Twi'lek introduced herself as Mission Vao and her Wookie companion as Zaalbar. She was the first friendly face they had encountered that day and she was happy to tell them all she knew about Davik Kang, who apparently owned a ship called the Ebon Hawk that might just be capable of outrunning the Sith ships that surrounded Taris. Brinna's interest quickened as Carth asked Mission if she had any idea where Davik might keep his ship. Mission told them that it was most likely locked up on Davik's estate and Brinna immediately began to do her best to think of ways to get to that estate but was unable to come up with anything. According to Mission, Calo Nord was also working for Davik, apparently on some sort of special job.

Mission gave them some more information about the swoop gangs, telling them the story of how Brejik, the leader of the Vulkars, had come into power in that gang after a falling out with Gadon Thek, the leader of the Hidden Beks. She told them that she sometimes hung out at the Bek base and let them know that they might want to seek out Gadon.

Brinna marveled as Mission told them her tale of how she and Zaalbar had hooked up. It was obvious to Brinna that Mission had been forced to grow up much too quickly, though she sensed that it would be best not to say anything of the sort to Mission. For as tough as Mission appeared to be, Brinna was certain that it couldn't be easy for her to get by on Taris. As she watched the Twi'lek and her Wookie friend walk out of the cantina, Brinna wished that there was something she could do to help the teen.

"That poor kid," Carth remarked.

"I wonder what happened to her family," Brinna said. "I just can't stand the thought of her being out there on her own like that, Wookie or no Wookie."

"At least she has the Wookie, though. I hate to think of how much more difficult it would be for a kid like that to get by without him."

"This place is starting to depress me," Brinna sighed. "Come on. I think we should try to find that Zax. I'd be interested to know just what other bounties are floating around out there."

As they walked into the room where they had been told they could find Zax, Brinna caught sight of a desperate-looking Twi'lek female who seemed to be pleading with the Twi'lek male standing before her. Curious, Brinna moved closer and heard the female begging the male to give her a chance to audition. It seemed that she couldn't audition without a partner and, due to Brinna's inability to refrain from meddling in other people's personal tragedies, she found herself volunteering to partner the Twi'lek.

_What am I doing?_ she asked herself as she handed her gear over to Carth. He was eyeing her with obvious amusement and she shot him a warning look that only served to make him look even more amused.

Brinna felt like a galaxy-class idiot as she fumbled her way through the audition with Lyn. Carth was very quiet but she was convinced that was because he was doing his best to keep his laughter silent for fear of her wrath.

_You and your stupid bleeding heart,_ she told herself as she made her way through the third dance of the audition. To her relief, she had managed to do a decent job and an ecstatic Lyn was informed that she had made it.

"Some thanks I got for that," Brinna told Carth as she took her vibroblades back from him. "I can't believe she told me she was too good to talk to me anymore!"

"I hadn't realized that the Republic was recruiting dancers," he remarked.

"I should have known better than to agree to do that with you here," she sighed. "You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

"Probably not," he told her.

"You're just jealous because you have no rhythm," Brinna said, breaking down and allowing the absurdity of the situation to wash over her.

"You could always teach me," he said, in a strangled tone. As she looked at him, she could see that his face was turning red from his efforts to control his laughter.

"You are _this_ close to the edge, buddy," she said, holding her finger and her thumb a hair's breadth apart.

She walked away from him and approached Zax, who told her about the bounties both legal and otherwise that were out there. Brinna was with Carth when he expressed his view that he'd rather not do Davik's dirty work by carrying out his special contracts.

From the cantina they went to the lower city apartments, where they ran into the victim of one of Davik's special contracts, a Twi'lek by the name of Matrik. When Matrik explained to them that he was on Davik's list because he had helped provide evidence that put some of Davik's goons in prison, Brinna agreed to help him stage his death so that he could try to escape Taris and Davik's wrath. She and Carth immediately set off for the upper city and Kebla Yurt's shop, where Brinna hoped they would be able to find the permacrete detonator that Matrik needed.

Brinna decided that it was high time to address Carth's apparent trust issues with regard to her and she stopped him just before they entered the shop so that she could discuss it with him. She wanted to scream in frustration as he informed her that he was not about to stop being wary because he wasn't "built that way," as he put it. When she demanded to know why she deserved his hostility, he informed her that he'd been betrayed before and wasn't about to let it happen again.

She really lost it when he told her there was no need to take it personally and, once again, she found herself flinging insults at him to his apparent delight. In spite of herself, she had to laugh, though this frustrated her even more. She'd worked up a really good head of steam against him and it drove her crazy that he was the first person she'd ever met who was able to circumvent her anger by making her laugh.

In the end, however, nothing was really resolved as he continued to maintain that he didn't intend to ever trust anyone again. She wanted to argue some more with him but he refused to continue the discussion and told her to pick it up later.

Brinna fumed the whole time she was in Kebla's shop buying the detonator and continued to fume as they made their way back to the lower city elevator. It was fortunate for Carth that they ran into some poor Ithorian who was being harassed by a couple of evil human kids on their way. She was able to redirect her frustration to the kids, driving them off and giving the Ithorian a medpac so that he could heal himself. Carth tried to comment about what had just occurred but she refused to talk to him and ignored all attempts at conversation.

Her mood improved once Matrik had blown up his apartment and thanked them for their help. Carth might be driving her slowly crazy by directing his paranoia squarely at her but at least there were others who appreciated her efforts to help them.

Their last stop of the day was the Hidden Bek base, though it was not easy getting inside or getting Gadon's jumpy bodyguard Zaerdra to allow them to speak with him. For the first time since they'd crashed on Taris, though, it seemed they were finally making progress. Gadon told them that Bastila had been captured by Brejik who had enslaved her and was offering her as the prize in the big swoop race. Better yet, Gadon told Brinna that he would sponsor her as a racer if she broke into the Vulkar base and recovered the Bek prototype swoop engine that the Vulkars had stolen. It wasn't what Brinna would call an ideal solution but it was the first real lead that they'd been able to find and it looked like it was their best chance for rescuing Bastila.

To her surprise, Gadon told them that Mission Vao was their best bet for finding entry into the Bek base. It seemed she spent so much time skulking around the undercity that she knew it better than anybody. Brinna agreed to trade her Sith uniform to Gadon in exchange for papers that would enable her to get into the undercity. She left him with the promise that the next time he saw her she'd be bringing his stolen engine back to him.

"We're finally making some progress," Carth said as soon as they exited the base. He sounded pleased.

Brinna reluctantly decided that she had best start speaking to him again. They had a lot of planning to do and she would just have to put aside her grudge for a while.

"I think we should head for the undercity first thing tomorrow," she told him. "Between the rakghouls and the Vulkars, it sounds like we're going to have our hands full."

Carth sighed. "Nothing's ever easy, is it?" he asked.

"You ought to know. You're a pro at making things difficult," she said, impetuously.

"I try," Carth said, lightly.

"You don't need to try. You're just naturally talented at it," Brinna grumbled.

"Look, if it'll make you feel better, I'll buy you dinner at the upper city cantina again," he said. He tried his best to adapt a serious expression but his mouth quirked at the corners, belying his little ruse.

"Why didn't we ask Mission to get us something good to eat from the Bek base?" Brinna asked, giving in and allowing Carth to once again dissolve her anger.

"You know, I'm beginning to seriously suspect that what we ate last night was actually rancor masquerading as something different."

"Oh, did you have to say that?" Brinna groaned, doubling over and clutching her stomach. "Just when I thought that food couldn't get any worse you have to go and prove me wrong."

"Come on, we might as well give Javyar's Cantina a try. It can't be as bad as what we ate last night, right?" he asked her.

"One can only hope."

They sat down to dinner in the lower city cantina and, to their relief, the food was actually quite decent. The mood between them was more relaxed as they ate and Brinna silently snickered at the thought that maybe Carth was simply like a moody three-year-old: feed him and he became much more agreeable.

Brinna toyed with her necklace as Carth told her a story about the first time he'd piloted a ship. He was very animated as he spoke about flying and Brinna listened to him with growing interest. When he was finished, he flicked a gaze toward her necklace.

"I've noticed you playing with that before. It's pretty unusual. Where did you get it?" he asked.

"I didn't get it anywhere. It came to me," Brinna said, closing her eyes briefly as an unexpected wave of pain washed over her. "See, I can be just as evasive as you," she said, speaking as lightly as she was able.

"I see that," he replied, his tone just as light but with an unmistakable edge of tension to it.

"Come on, it's been a long day. Let's get back to the apartment. And this time I'm taking watch first," she told him. He opened his mouth to protest and she held a hand up to stop him. "You have to get some rest or you'll be useless."

Neither of them spoke another word for the rest of the evening. The tension between them had reappeared but this time it was Carth who had unconsciously provoked it. As she sat in the dark apartment, Brinna found that she could not keep her hands off her necklace. On the other side of the room, Carth feigned sleep, which only served to further irritate Brinna. Surely he didn't think he could go without sleeping for the duration of their mission? Why did he have to be so damn mysterious anyway? More importantly, why had she insisted on being mysterious right back? She wasn't exactly the type who gave her trust away for free but she was usually a lot more up front than she had been with Carth.

_It's because you wanted to get back at him,_ a little voice told her. She did her best to ignore it but it didn't give her a moment's peace the whole night.


	3. Rakghouls & Routing the Vulkar Base

"Wake up," a male voice said, gently.

"No," Brinna groaned. "I just fell asleep five minutes ago."

"Actually, it's been five hours."

"I _said_ five minutes," Brinna practically growled.

"Well good morning to you too, sunshine. And just because you said so doesn't make it so. It's been five hours," Carth said, more firmly this time.

"I never claimed to be a morning person," she grumbled in response. With a defeated sigh, she gave in to the inevitable and rose from the bed.

"Here, maybe this will help," Carth said, handing her a steaming mug.

She sipped the bitter beverage as she blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear her sleep-fogged vision. "Thanks," she mumbled to him.

"Don't mention it," he said, moving away from her to fiddle with his vibroblades.

Brinna moved over to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face. _What I wouldn't give for a long, hot soak,_ she thought as she rolled her head around in an attempt to ease some of the stiffness in her neck.

Carth was still toying with his weapons and Brinna sighed silently to herself. She knew she had overreacted to his question about her necklace the previous night but she just couldn't get over his blatant refusal to trust her. It brought out the child in her, provoking her to lash back at him. Still, it really wasn't his fault that she was taking his lack of trust as personally as she was.

It wasn't that she expected him to be her best friend, she just wished he'd stop being so suspicious of her and that he'd open up a bit. She wasn't concerned about trying to get to the root of his issues solely to satisfy her curiosity, although that admittedly played a role in her attempts. What was more important was her conviction that his paranoia and his refusal to trust her could seriously compromise their mission. In situations like this, it was necessary to trust someone, to trust that they'd be watching your back when you needed them most. She wanted to trust Carth but his refusal to trust her was pretty much putting a crimp in that plan. This was just going to lead to more misunderstandings and unnecessary tension between them, she was sure of it.

_Well, I just can't allow that. I'm going to have to keep prodding until he finally breaks down and tells me what's going on in that head of his,_ she decided. _In the meantime, maybe I should try to learn to control my temper. Biting his head off is not going to do anything to convince him that he ought to place some confidence in me._

"I think I'm ready to be civil now," Brinna offered, by way of truce.

Carth smiled crookedly at her and she could see the fatigue in his eyes. She felt a twinge of sympathy for him, which only helped to further convince her that she should probably go a little easier on him.

"Good. For a minute there you scared me more than a rabid kath hound."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that. I think it's been something like a week since I last heard that from someone. I was beginning to fear I'd lost my touch," she told him, smiling at him.

He relaxed visibly. "Glad to be of assistance," he told her.

"Come on. We should get going," she told him, taking one last sip from her mug before setting it down and gathering her gear. "We still need to scout out that last ring of apartments in the lower city before we head down to the undercity."

"Ready whenever you are," Carth said.

They made their way down to the lower city and toward the corridor leading to the ring of apartments that they had not yet explored. The corridor was blocked by a couple of Black Vulkars who were arguing with one of Davik's goons about whether or not they should pay their debt to Davik. When the Vulkars refused to adjust their attitudes to the goon's liking, he gave a sharp whistle, summoning a bounty hunter to his aide.

As soon as they caught sight of the man, the Vulkars changed their tune and Brinna couldn't say she blamed them. The bounty hunter was massive, at least a head taller than Brinna and twice as wide as her. His muscles seemed to have muscles. He was pure intimidation from his closely cropped light hair to the tips of his boots. When he spoke, his voice was gravelly and Brinna took note of the scars that adorned his face. This man had seen more than one battle and the Vulkars clearly understood that they could fight him if they wanted but he would be the only one to live to see another.

Instead, the Vulkars wisely backed down, much to the bounty hunter's disappointment, and they and Davik's goon disappeared. The bounty hunter offered some color commentary to Brinna and Carth on the subject of the Vulkars' intelligence and responded to Brinna's query as to who he was by telling her that his name was Canderous Ordo and that she'd be wise not to get on his bad side. Without another word, he walked off toward the apartments.

"That Davik has some serious muscle," Brinna told Carth.

Carth nodded grimly. "Yeah. We definitely don't want to get on his bad side."

They entered the ring of apartments and promptly ran into their old friend, Calo Nord, who quickly dispatched a pair of aliens he'd apparently been hunting down. This time, as he passed by, he gave Brinna a complete once over while she did her best to stare casually at the wall in front of her. She really wanted to slap him upside the head with the flat of one of her blades but the last thing she and Carth needed was for Calo Nord to decide that they were a nuisance. Besides, she'd promised Carth that she'd be a good girl now and she was determined to stick to that promise lest she add further fuel to the fire of his paranoia. She was glad when Calo Nord walked off without comment.

As luck would have it, the first apartment they broke into was inhabited by Selvan, an infamous assassin who was one of the official government contracts about which Zax had told them. Selvan made it quite clear that she intended to add Brinna and Carth to her list of victims and Brinna immediately knew that this wasn't going to be an easy fight.

Brinna was just making a move toward the assassin when Selvan pulled out a blaster with lightening speed and fired off a shot that hit Brinna's left arm. Wincing, Brinna decided that she'd best try to make this fight as short as possible and though the pain in her arm was screaming for her attention, she ignored it and slashed at Selvan with her vibroblades, catching the other woman off guard and leaving her with a nice gash in her firing arm. Selvan dropped her blaster and pulled a vibroblade, dealing Carth a solid blow to his jaw with a well-aimed kick.

The scuffle lasted several minutes and Selvan did quite a nice job of seeing to it that Carth and Brinna suffered as much as possible before she finally went down. Brinna wiped blood from a nasty cut on her cheek and burned her way through a couple of medpacs before she began to feel relatively normal again.

"Now I do see why she was the most dangerous assassin on Taris," Carth said, wincing as he made use of his own medpacs.

"At least we can make ourselves a few more credits once we report back to Zax," Brinna replied.

"Let's finish up here so we can get down to the undercity," Carth said.

Brinna nodded. She was tired of dealing with the scum on Taris and anxious to make some more progress in their search for Bastila. They quickly cleared out the rest of the apartments, eliminating the Black Vulkars who were foolish enough to try to get in their way. When they were done, they headed back to Javyar's Cantina where Brinna lied through her teeth about Matrik and informed Zax of Selvan's demise with the result that they left the cantina considerably richer than they'd entered it.

The Sith guard at the elevator to the undercity passed a cursory glance over the papers that Gadon had provided before warning them to watch out for rakghouls and letting them pass. With an alarming rattle and whine, the elevator descended into the undercity.

"Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," Carth muttered as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.

"My sentiments exactly," Brinna said, looking around her.

If there was a more depressing place in the galaxy, she had yet to see it. They were truly underground now, with no hope of seeing any sort of natural light. The undercity was dim and cave like with hard-packed dirt under their feet and a stifling, airless feel.

"Hey! That's _our_ elevator! You owe us five credits!" a petulant voice called out.

Brinna turned to see a couple of beggars standing before them. Their clothing was worn and ragged and their skin had a strange pallor that she suspected was brought about by a lack of exposure to sunlight. Every inch of them looked worn and weary and though she knew the beggars were shaking them down, Brinna felt a rush of sympathy for them. She gave them twenty credits and instructed them to buy themselves some food and clothing. She could have wept for the pathetic joy they showed at having gained so few credits and she ignored the slightly exasperated look that Carth sent her way.

"Go on you two, get out of here!" a female voice shouted, driving the beggars away.

The girl introduced herself as Shaleena and she seemed so thrilled to be talking with "upworlders"—as she referred to Brinna and Carth—that Brinna found her heart was once again touched. Shaleena explained to them that everyone who was unfortunate enough to live in the undercity was there either because they'd been banished for whatever petty crimes they may have committed against the Tarisian nobles or because they were the descendent of one of those so-called criminals. She herself was a resident of the undercity because of an occurrence that her parents refused to speak of and she spoke of the world above her with a very wistful voice.

Shaleena didn't know much about the crashed pods, which was unfortunate, but she did share with them the intelligence that several upworlders had passed through the undercity recently. Brinna had no doubt that the Sith made up more than a few of those upworlders and she couldn't help but think that it was actually a stroke of luck that Bastila had been captured by Brejik and his gang. Had she been taken by the Sith, the consequences would have been dire.

Brinna asked Shaleena a few questions about the village and learned that its leader was named Gendar and that there was an old man of questionable sanity named Rukil who liked to tell the children tales of what he called the "Promised Land." Shaleena seemed very disappointed when Brinna told her they had to move on and she eagerly entreated them to seek her out if they had any other questions.

"This place gives me the creeps," Brinna confessed to Carth as they made their way through the village looking for Gendar.

They had just been confronted by a slimy character named Igear and Brinna was eager to get away from him. He had told them a really awful story about how he had tried to horde supplies in order to snatch power away from Gendar and though the story made her stomach turn, Brinna felt a strange sort of sympathy for Igear at the same time. What could really be expected of people who lived in such a place, doing their best to scrabble out a meager existence? It was a wonder that more of the villagers weren't like Igear.

"Yeah, me too," Carth told her. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to be forced to live somewhere like this."

"I don't want to imagine it," Brinna said, grimly. She tried her best not to look at the despairing faces of the villagers that they passed.

They finally found Gendar, who told them a sad tale of how villagers infected with the rakghoul disease had to be quarantined from the healthy villagers. He was also able to tell them that they would most likely be able to find Mission in the sewers and gave them directions to those sewers.

As they left Gendar and prepared to head for the sewers, they were stopped by Rukil, who seemed to think that Brinna was some sort of prophet or something. Brinna silently agreed with Carth as he warned her that Rukil might be crazy enough to be dangerous. It certainly seemed like he had a few screws loose as he asked Brinna if she was the "one" who had been sent to lead them away from their village and to the Promised Land. She indulged him by asking him what he meant by this and he instantly became rather paranoid, insisting that she must first discover the whereabouts of his assistant, Malya, to prove herself worthy of his secret knowledge. Brinna agreed to do what she could.

"What am I getting myself into?" she asked Carth uneasily as they walked away.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, thinking of you as a 'true savior'? No offense, but that seems a bit over the top."

"Yeah, it does," Brinna sighed. "The idea of being anyone's savior brings with it a type of responsibility I'm not sure I want to bear." She looked around her, shaking her head. "How did I end up here? I mean, there I was just minding my own business scouting to my heart's content and now suddenly I'm fighting swoop gangs and finding crazy old men who think I'm their savior."

Carth grinned at her. "Welcome to the wonderful world of working for the Republic."

They arrived at what they had mistakenly believed was the gate that led out of the village and to the sewers but found, instead, that it was a pen to contain the infected villagers. Carth didn't mince words in expressing his disgust with the situation and Brinna had trouble tearing her eyes away from the desperate faces she saw within. She wished that there was something she could do but she was powerless to help them and so she was forced to keep going.

At last, they reached the correct gate. A young woman was crying out to a man named Hendar on the other side and pleading with the guard to open the gate so that Hendar could escape. The jumpy guard, however, was refusing because Hendar had a rakghoul hot on his heels. Without even thinking about what she was doing, Brinna ordered the guard to open the gate with the promise that she'd kill the rakghoul.

"You don't act unless it's rashly," Carth sighed, but he followed her through the gate.

"So my mother always told me," Brinna threw back at him. She stepped between Hendar and the rakghoul.

She felt an involuntary shudder of revulsion as she looked at the creature. It was colorless with a large, misshapen head whose most prominent feature was an alarmingly oversized jaw that she had been told could infect her with one bite. She tried to reassure herself with the thought that she and Carth had a good stock of antidote packs but that wasn't much consolation.

_Oh well, you've seen worse,_ she told herself as she squared off against the creature. That thought didn't provide much comfort as she mistakenly left her right side vulnerable as she attacked the creature and promptly received a bite for her troubles. She felt instantly sickened and though she did her best to ignore it, the toxins that the creature had released into her bloodstream made her a bit sluggish. The battle lasted longer than she would have liked, but she managed to survive. Any ill-effects she suffered in the aftermath were quickly dispelled as the man was reunited with his love and expressed his sincere thanks to Brinna and Carth. The gate guard thanked them as well, expressing his wonder that an upworlder would have actually troubled themselves enough to help a denizen of the undercity.

"Here, you look like you could use this," Carth said, handing her an antidote kit.

"Thanks," she said, gratefully. She sighed in relief as the antidote cleared away the poison coursing through her body. "I'm sorry, Carth. That was pretty rash of me but I just couldn't leave him there to die."

"I know," Carth said, softly. "You did the right thing. I guess I just wish you'd give me a little more warning before you go throwing yourself into situations like that. I like to be at least a little prepared." He smiled at her and she smiled in return.

"I have to say, after seeing one of those things, I'm more determined than ever to find that serum for Zelka," she told him, shuddering.

"If we find anything, I definitely think we should take it to him," Carth agreed, his expression turning sober. "I've seen some pretty horrifying diseases but the rakghoul disease is one of the worst."

"Well, we're not going to find that serum by standing around and talking about it. Let's go," Brinna told Carth.

Once more they crossed through the gates and within a few steps they ran right into the person they'd been hoping to see: Mission Vao. The young Twi'lek ran toward them, babbling something about her pal Zaalbar in a voice that was tinged with hysteria. When Brinna was finally able to get Mission to calm down and speak coherently, she and Carth learned that Zaalbar and Mission had been ambushed by Gamorreans in the sewers. Zaalbar had attacked them, enabling Mission to escape, but he had been captured in the process and Mission was terrified that he would be sold into slavery. Brinna promised to help Mission find and free Zaalbar if Mission agreed to get them into the Vulkar base, a bargain that Mission quickly accepted.

They stopped for a moment so that Brinna could see to it that Mission was better equipped. She gave the teen a second blaster, a combat suit, and an energy shield. Brinna was not exactly thrilled with the idea of exposing the young Twi'lek to the type of danger that they were certain to face but she didn't see any way of avoiding it. She vowed to herself that she would keep a sharp eye on Mission and do all she could to ensure that the girl would come to no harm.

Mission wanted to go directly into the sewers and Brinna did not have an easy time convincing her that they needed to first scout the rakghoul-infested area of the undercity for Republic escape pods and any possible survivors. Brinna understood Mission's concern for her friend's safety but Brinna was quite sure that Zaalbar wouldn't be going anywhere at the moment. Right now the need to search for any surviving Republic soldiers was more pressing as every moment they spent in the undercity brought them closer to discovery by the Sith. Brinna's sense of urgency increased as shortly after they encountered Mission they had a run-in with a Sith patrol. Thanks to some quick thinking, Brinna was able to trick the Sith into thinking that she, Carth, and Mission were on a search and rescue mission.

"That was close," Carth said uneasily as the Sith patrol moved off.

"Too close," Brinna said, grimly. Her attention was diverted by a dull gleam a short distance away. "What's that?" she asked.

Brinna moved off in the direction of the shiny object, Mission and Carth following close behind. As she drew near, Brinna saw that the glimmer had been caused by the armor of a dead Sith soldier. She swiftly searched the utility belt that was strapped around the corpse's waist and gave a small cry of victory at what she found within.

"What is it?" Carth asked.

Smiling broadly, Brinna held up a small vial. "Rakghoul serum. There's quite a bit here. We can use this to help those infected villagers in the pen and then we can take what's left to Zelka."

"Wow! Zelka will be beside himself. He's been trying for ages to get his hands on some serum. It looks like he'll finally be able to help the people down here. It'll drive those lousy Tarisian nobles crazy to see the poor finally getting the help they need," Mission told her.

"Wonderful," Brinna responded, with a satisfied smile. She carefully tucked the serum away in her own utility belt.

"So what are you two doing here anyway?" Mission asked as they started to move again.

Brinna cast a look at Carth, trying to decide exactly how much to tell Mission. Carth, as per usual, looked rather suspiciously at Mission and Brinna rolled her eyes. Did he honestly think that the Sith had hired Mission to spy on them? That would certainly be taking his paranoia to new heights. After a moment's reflection, Brinna decided to tell Mission everything. Mission was now caught up in what they were doing, after all, and Brinna decided that the Twi'lek had the right to know what was happening.

"We're on a mission for the Republic," she said, while Carth stared at her, clearly aghast. "Oh come on, Carth! As if it won't all be obvious to her in the end!"

"What's with him?" Mission asked, casting a confused look from Brinna to Carth.

"He has trust issues," Brinna said, irritated. "But I think you have the right to know what we're doing, since you're now involved. We need to break into the Vulkar base to steal a prototype swoop engine they stole from the Beks."

"Yeah, I heard some of the Beks talking about that the last time Big Z and I were hanging out at the base. But that can't be why you're here," Mission said, looking even more confused.

"It's not. We have an agreement with Gadon. He's going to sponsor me in the swoop bike race in exchange for the recovery of the stolen engine. Brejik is offering a captive Jedi named Bastila as the Vulkar prize for the race. Carth and I were on a mission with Bastila and we need to get into that race so that we can rescue her."

"I heard about her too," Mission said. "Brejik doesn't know she's a Jedi, though. He just thinks she's a Republic officer but that makes her valuable enough to be quite a prize offering. It's just like him to do something that disgusting."

"I trust you won't tell any of this to anyone," Carth said to her.

Mission gave him a look that seemed to indicate she thought he had the IQ of a dewback. "Of course I'm not going to tell anyone. You're helping me rescue Big Z, after all. Do you really think I'd sell you out after that?"

"Yes, he does," Brinna said. Carth's look indicated that he was none too pleased with her and she sighed deeply. "You know you do, Carth. Don't deny it."

He opened his mouth to argue with her further but she cut him off with a gesture. "There's someone over there," she whispered, pointing to the other side of a small minefield.

"I can take care of those mines no problem," Mission whispered. She scurried over to the mines, disabling and recovering them within seconds.

Brinna was duly impressed. Neither she nor Carth had any skill with demolitions. It looked like Mission was going to be very handy to have around and Brinna found herself marveling at the luck she and Carth had experienced so far.

On the other side of the minefield was a jumpy young man in a Republic uniform. It seemed he had been infected by the rakghouls and had set up a mine perimeter around him in an attempt to protect himself from further attack. Brinna gave him a dose of the serum, perking him up almost instantly. He was able to tell them that Bastila had not been in the pod that lay in charred ruin to his left but that he had been tracking her pod, which had gone down somewhere to the west of them. He suddenly stopped talking and glanced nervously from side to side, declaring that he'd heard something. Brinna told him that she hadn't heard anything but he wasn't reassured and he promptly ran off, crying out that he heard a rakghoul. It turned out that he was right and the beast made short work of the weakened soldier before turning on Brinna, Carth, and Mission.

After a while, Brinna lost count of how many rakghouls they had killed. She tried very hard not to think of the fact that the beasts had once been humans. It made killing them that much worse, even though she knew that by the time they transformed they were beyond the help of any serum.

To her surprise, they soon ran into a familiar face in the form of Canderous Ordo, who was leading a small group of Davik's hired goons. It seemed he was down there on a salvage mission for Davik and was miffed because the Black Vulkars had had the nerve to loot the downed pods before Davik's men could get to them. Apparently, it was supposed to be understood that Davik was to have first dibs.

Their conversation was cut short by yet another rakghoul attack. Had Brinna had the leisure to think, she would have had to shake her head at the unlikelihood of fighting side-by-side with one of Davik's thugs but she didn't have much time for irony. Once the fight was over, Canderous announced that he was leaving as his men were not trained for this sort of combat. As she watched him walk away, Brinna had the strangest feeling that it was not the last time she'd be seeing him.

"Over here," Mission called, breaking into Brinna's reverie. "It looks like the rakghouls got to one of the Outcasts."

"One of the Outcasts?" Brinna asked, her interest piqued.

She moved over to the corpse and removed a datapad from its pocket. Sure enough, it belonged to Malya, Rukil's assistant, and had some information about the Promised Land in it. Brinna could make neither heads nor tails of it but she shrugged and slipped it into her pack. She had a feeling that Rukil would want it.

They stopped for a moment to take a breather. Mission moved off to examine something that had caught her interest and Brinna found herself alone with Carth. She decided that it was the perfect time to probe him again.

He accused her of wanting to argue some more and she retorted that she was always up for a good fight. Just as she'd expected, the words had the desired effect on Carth, who smiled and told her that he'd never met a woman quite like her before and that she was "really something."

_You don't even know the half of it,_ she thought as she goaded him into telling her why he took the fall of Revan and Malak so personally. While he was obviously disturbed by the fall of the Jedi heroes, Brinna quickly discovered that the real reason he was so angry had to do with some of the Republic officers who'd become Sith. She was truly shocked by the vehemence in his voice as he spoke of the fallen Jedi and Republic officers. He declared that they all deserved death and his voice was so intense that she took an involuntary step back. There was hatred in his voice and she told him as much. He acknowledged the truth in her statement and then told her that he should apologize to her and tried to justify his behavior by telling her that he was used to expecting the worst in others.

_So where's that apology?_ she wondered. It was clear that the conversation was over, however, so she supposed she wouldn't be getting any apology from him that day. She turned away from him and did her best to conceal her frustration. Why did he get under her skin as he did? Normally if she'd been faced with someone as frustrating as him she would have written him off as unworthy of her time. And yet the more he insulted and angered her, the more effort she put forth with him. It defied explanation.

She distracted herself by talking to Mission, who told her about how she and Zaalbar had become friends. Mission mentioned something about her brother but didn't want to talk about him when Brinna asked about him.

_I'm surrounded,_ Brinna thought ruefully.

"I think it's time to go into the sewers," she told Carth and Mission, who nodded their agreement.

"It smells even worse down here than it does in that dump of an apartment," Brinna complained as soon as they descended into the sewers.

"Next time I'll be sure to look for something with a less offensive odor, just for you," Carth said, sarcastically.


	4. A Prize of Questionable Value

One of the female Beks was sent to wake Brinna the next morning but since Brinna hadn't slept a wink the night before, it was a wasted effort. Someone offered Brinna some breakfast but she was far too nervous to eat and so she contented herself with sipping slowly at an overheated mug of tea while picturing all the different ways the race could go. Unfortunately, a great many of her pictures involved various parts of her body being splattered all over the track.

"Are you all right?" Mission asked, concerned. Unlike Brinna, she was having no trouble putting away a hearty breakfast and the sight and smell of it was turning Brinna's stomach.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be? I mean, after all, I'm just going to get on a swoop bike—which I've never done before—and do my best to see to it that I get it to the finish line quickly enough to beat a bunch of riders who've done it a million times. Oh, and did I mention the fact that I need to do all this while doing my best to avoid having an unstable prototype engine blow up on me and splatter me all over the track?" Brinna said, feeling slightly hysterical.

"Right," Mission said, the expression on her face clearly saying she wished she hadn't asked. She turned back to her breakfast.

"You'll do fine," Carth said, but the tentative note in his voice was anything but reassuring.

"Yeah, well, if I don't I won't have much time to worry about it, will I?" Brinna muttered.

She knew she shouldn't take her nervousness out on Carth and Mission but she couldn't help herself. She'd done many, many risky things during the course of her career as a scout but this had to be the riskiest.

_You've got to pull yourself together or you'll never be able to do this,_ she told herself.

"I'm sorry," she told Carth and Mission. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Oh really? We hadn't noticed," Mission muttered, addressing her food.

Brinna laughed out loud. "Stick with me and watch how I deal with other stressful situations. You'll be glad to know that I can be even more charming than I'm being right now."

"Can't wait to see that," Carth said, with a grin.

"Listen, Carth's right, you'll be fine. And we'll be cheering you on," Mission told her.

"That does make me feel better," Brinna admitted.

"And don't forget that the sooner this is over with and Bastila is freed, the sooner we can try to find a way off this planet," Carth reminded her.

"That makes me feel better yet," Brinna told him, which was the truth. "Oh, look. I think it's time," she added, as she noticed a Bek outfitted in racing gear heading her way.

"You're not leaving those here?" Carth asked, indicating her vibroblades.

"Nah. I don't feel comfortable when I'm unarmed," Brinna said, lightly. The truth was she had a sneaking suspicion that she would need her weapons but she'd decided not to share that particular fear with her companions. Carth nodded his understanding, which wasn't surprising to Brinna. Judging by how jumpy he was Brinna would have been willing to wager that he slept with a blaster beneath his pillow. When he slept, that was, which she was learning was not all that often.

"Good luck," Mission told her, recalling her to her present predicament.

"Thanks. I'll need it," Brinna said, before turning and following the Bek out to the racetrack.

The first thing she noticed was the noise. The roar of engines and the shouts of racers and their mechanics were nearly deafening. An Ithorian member of the Beks took her aside and explained the basics of her bike to her. Brinna listened as attentively as she was able in the cacophony but she had to ask the Ithorian to repeat himself more than once, causing him to cast a dubious glance at her, which did nothing for her flagging confidence.

However, once she calmed herself down a little and thought about what the Ithorian had told her, she realized that the swoop controls weren't all that different from ship controls. Having been a scout for almost as long as she could remember and having spent the last ten years of her life freelancing with her own vessel, if there was one thing she knew it was how to fly a ship. She didn't have Carth Onasi-style combat experience but she knew a thing or two about maneuvering out of tricky situations. Though her business had always been entirely legitimate, it didn't mean that the business of everyone else she'd ever run into out in the far reaches of space had been.

For the first time since she'd spoken with Gadon the previous day, Brinna began to relax and believe that she could handle the race. Even though it was noisy down at the track, there weren't all that many people around as only racers and appropriate personnel were allowed down on the track. Anyone who cared to watch the race had to do so courtesy of the viewscreens in the cantina and the gang bases and this knowledge made Brinna feel much better. Had she been surrounded by hundreds of cheering fans, she would never have been able to concentrate.

Once she had the bike basics down, she did her best to cast what she hoped was a very nonchalant glance at the captive Bastila. It looked as though Brejik had her under the influence of a neural restraint collar and the Jedi's eyes were wide and vacant-looking. She was an attractive young woman with tousled dark hair and skin that Brinna frankly envied. She also had a nice figure, which was unfortunate for her as it had apparently inspired Brejik to dress her up in what looked like an outfit that was a reject from the wardrobe of a badly-dressed Twi'lek dancer.

What really caught Brinna's attention, though, was Bastila's youth. She had guessed from the way Carth talked about her that Bastila was not very old but Brinna had not expected someone just barely out of her teens. It was no wonder everyone made such a big deal out of her; it was pretty amazing indeed that someone as young as Bastila had learned to control the prodigious gift of Battle Meditation that she possessed. Brinna knew little about the Jedi but enough to know that such a gift was rare in any case and usually took years to master.

And yet Brinna didn't find it that surprising that Bastila had mastered her gift so early. If anything, she was surprised that Brejik hadn't yet realized that his prisoner was no ordinary Republic officer. Power seemed to radiate from Bastila and Brinna could perceive it as clear as day.

Almost before she knew it, the racer before her had left to complete his heat, meaning that she'd be up any time. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, breathing out through her mouth. After several breaths, she felt calm and centered. It was an old trick she'd learned back in her early days of piloting when she'd still found it incredibly nerve-wracking to be behind a ship's throttle.

"You're up," the Ithorian announced to her. "Go get 'em."

Brinna nodded at him and walked over to the coordinator to tell him that she was ready to race one of her heats. He told her the time to beat and, the next thing she knew, she was on the bike and at the starting line.

As she stared intently at the red light glowing before her, Brinna forced all of her distracting thoughts and worries out of her mind. She was almost there by the time the light turned yellow and, when it turned green, her mind was clear and she was ready to focus. Almost by instinct, she opened the bike's throttle and was off.

It turned out that operating the swoop bike was not nearly as complicated as Brinna had feared. She felt herself slipping into a zone of ultimate concentration and she had little trouble avoiding the obstacles on the track and then finessing her way back over to the accelerator pads. In fact, after hitting the first few and shifting gears to use the advantage of the extra burst of speed they lent her, Brinna found that her adrenaline had begun to pump and that she was actually enjoying herself. She'd always loved flying her ship and she found that the swoop bike was even more of a rush. There was nothing like the sensation of being on the edge of danger, of being rather vulnerable and unprotected. It brought a smile to Brinna's face and made her just reckless enough to really get the bike moving.

Her heart was pounding with the thrill of it all by the time she crossed the finish line and as she pulled her helmet off, there was a broad smile on her face. She couldn't resist pumping her fist in the air a couple of times and it seemed that the Beks were just as excited as she was. She soon learned why as the Ithorian rushed over to her and announced that she had the best time, beating riders who had twenty years of experience over her.

"I've never seen anyone have a first ride like that!" he told her, his voice filled with awe.

Brinna grinned at him. "I'm only sorry I didn't try this sooner," she told him.

The victory was short-lived, however, as the next rider up, a Vulkar by the name of Redros, managed to complete the track in one less second than she had. Brinna was going to have to ride another heat and though she was actually pretty eager to get back on the track, she knew that if the engine became overtaxed the consequences would be lethal for her.

_Well, I'll just have to shave a lot off my time. That way no one will have any chance of beating me,_ she told herself.

This time around, Brinna was more than ready before the light had even turned yellow. She was off the instant the light turned green, her concentration so focused that she seemed to have lightning reflexes. This time the thrill of the ride captivated her from start to finish and it was almost as if she became one with the bike, as if all she had to do was think about which way she wanted it to turn and it turned. She'd never felt a sensation quite like it before and she could see how it could become quite addictive.

Sure enough, when she crossed the finish line the second time, she had managed to shave ten seconds off her time. She was positive there was no way anyone could beat her now, a sentiment that was confirmed by the Bek Ithorian.

The Beks were going absolutely wild, hooting, hollering, and cheering and thumping her on the back as if she was their hero. She could not stop smiling as she approached the race coordinator, who announced her as the winner. She raised a fist in the air in a sign of victory and then turned to look at Brejik.

She could practically feel her mouth drop open as Brejik accused her of cheating and announced that he did not intend to give up his prize after all. The race coordinator exclaimed in consternation that this could not be done but Brejik was not to be swayed. Brinna didn't know why she was surprised. After all, Brejik had betrayed his close friend and stolen the swoop engine from the Beks. Had she really expected him to be honorable when it came time to give up his "prize"? Well, whether Brejik wanted to release Bastila or not was irrelevant; Brinna was not leaving without her. It looked like her premonition had been correct and she was glad that she had brought her weapons with her.

Just as her hands closed around the hilts of her vibroblades, Bastila stunned everyone by breaking free of her cage and attacking the Vulkar who had stood guard just outside of it. Brinna's eyes widened but she quickly sprang to action, making use of the element of surprise that Bastila had provided. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Jedi going for Brejik so she turned and made for Redros. He was unarmed and quickly dispatched and Brinna quickly turned from him and made short work of the other three Vulkars who were rushing toward Brejik and Bastila. When she was finished, Brinna turned and saw that Bastila was still fighting with Brejik.

Brejik was a good fighter and had an advantage over Bastila in that she was without her lightsaber. Brinna ran over to them and jumped into the fight, leaping in the air and tucking into a roll, coming down on Brejik with all her strength and dealing him a solid blow. Stunned, he didn't even see Bastila coming and she finished him off with a swipe of the vibro double-blade she had taken from her fallen Vulkar guard.

Brinna hadn't exactly expected the Jedi to throw a parade in her honor but she was completely caught off guard when Bastila rounded on her and announced that she hoped Brinna wasn't intending to imprison her. An acid response was on the tip of Brinna's tongue when Bastila suddenly recognized her as having been part of the Endar Spire's crew. However, this didn't improve Bastila's attitude much and Brinna quickly came to understand why Carth had chosen to call her particular. Brinna stared in consternation as Bastila proceeded to announce that she hadn't needed Brinna's help in escaping the Vulkars. As if that wasn't bad enough, Bastila seemed to have the insane idea that she'd actually saved Brinna from the Vulkars. Brinna was truly annoyed but didn't want to stand around arguing with Bastila and so she told her that Carth was waiting for them. Bastila was pleased with this news and Brinna ground her teeth as Bastila announced that it was "finally" some good news.

In spite of her anger against Bastila, Brinna was listening closely enough to her to hear Bastila's praise of Carth. Carth had told Brinna that he was in the Mandalorian Wars but he had not told her that he was a decorated war hero. Brinna remembered Trask having said something on the Endar Spire and she found that she was further impressed by Bastila's praise of Carth. It seemed he had really downplayed his skills and his importance to the Republic, and Brinna couldn't help but approve of and admire his modesty.

She turned to lead Bastila back to the apartment to see Carth and, just then, something very strange happened. Suddenly, Brinna was no longer on the racetrack. It seemed she was on the helm of a ship observing a Jedi and a Dark Jedi. Focusing on the Jedi, Brinna realized that it was Bastila and that she was engaged in a heated battle with the Dark Jedi and then, just as suddenly as it came, the vision was gone. Disoriented, Brinna's step faltered and she shook her head in an attempt to clear the strange fog that suddenly filled it.

"What is the matter?" Bastila asked, studying Brinna critically.

"Nothing," Brinna said, giving her head a final shake. "It's nothing. Come on; let's get back to the apartment. Carth's waiting for us."

When they arrived at the apartment, Carth greeted Bastila with the enthusiastic declaration that things were finally starting to look up. Brinna regarded the two of them with some exasperation. What was she, bantha fodder? Even though she felt it was petty and really beneath her, Brinna could not help but feel resentful of the seeming lack of gratitude for all she'd done.

To her increasing annoyance, it seemed that Bastila had appointed herself Queen of the Galaxy as she promptly began to issue orders. Bastila demanded to know what they had been doing while they had been on Taris and had then proceeded to berate them for accomplishing so little. Brinna couldn't help but goggle at her incredulously. Battle Meditation or no, Brinna was beginning to wish she'd left Bastila at the mercy of the Vulkars.

Fortunately, Carth decided to stand up to Bastila and he scolded her for berating them. Bastila wasn't too pleased to be corrected but it seemed Carth had a way with her and in short order her attitude had changed to something as close to contrition as she seemed able to muster. It was decided that first thing in the morning they would begin searching for a way to get off the planet.

"Wow. She's…er…interesting, isn't she?" Mission said under her breath to Brinna as the two of them stashed the gear Brinna had picked off the dead Vulkars.

"That's one way of putting it," Brinna said, feeling annoyed all over again.

"Listen, I thought you were amazing in the swoop race, no matter what she said. Big Z and I usually watch the races and I'm being honest when I say I've never seen anyone ride quite like that before."

Brinna felt herself relaxing and she grinned at Mission. "Thanks. I was so nervous but once I was on the bike…I don't know, it just seemed easy."

"Feh! I wish I could just hop on a swoop and ride like you did! Then maybe I would have been able to save up enough credits to get off this planet," Mission told her.

"Well, hopefully you'll be getting off it soon enough," Brinna told her.

Mission's attention was claimed by Zaalbar and, out of the corner of her eye, Brinna saw Bastila approaching. She closed the footlocker and turned to face Bastila warily.

"I was wondering if you might be kind enough to tell me what happened back at the track. I know you said it was nothing but I don't believe that," Bastila said, in an infuriatingly demanding manner.

To her surprise, Brinna found herself telling Bastila about the vision she'd had. Bastila frowned and looked thoughtful for a moment before suggesting that Brinna might have some Force abilities, a claim that Brinna found hard to believe.

"Force abilities? Wouldn't I have known about that long ago?" Brinna asked.

"Not necessarily," Bastila replied. Brinna could see that she had bristled at the doubt in Brinna's voice. "In fact, I believe that there's a strong possibility that you have untapped Force abilities. It would explain your success in the swoop bike race and your finding me as you did. But I shouldn't speak of this with you. I will need to consult the Jedi Council once we get to Dantooine."

"Frankly, I think you're just underestimating us non-Jedi," Brinna said. "And don't forget that I had Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar helping me to find you. I couldn't have done it on my own."

"Perhaps," Bastila replied, pursing her lips and turning from Brinna.

Brinna couldn't resist the urge to make a foul face at Bastila's retreating back, noticing a split second too late that Carth was watching the two of them and had seen Brinna's childish gesture. Brinna flushed slightly but Carth actually smiled at her.

"We're running a little low on food. Brinna and I will go and replenish our supply," Carth said.

Surprised but relieved, Brinna nodded her assent. She was grateful to Carth for realizing that she needed a little break from her new Jedi buddy. Mission looked a bit terrified at the thought of being left with Bastila but Brinna decided that since she had Zaalbar with her, she could handle it and left the apartment without the slightest twinge of guilt.

"I thought you might want to get out for a while," Carth commented kindly.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Brinna said, blowing out a breath. "Now I know why you weren't honest with me about her."

Carth looked rather apologetic. "She can be hard to take, I know, but she's also very gifted. Without her, the Republic is in serious trouble."

Strangely, Brinna felt a twinge of what seemed to be jealousy. Why in the galaxy would she be jealous of Bastila, she wondered.

_Hmmm, maybe because Carth speaks of her with such obvious admiration,_ an insidious little voice inside her head suggested.

_Don't be ridiculous,_ Brinna told herself, with a scowl.

"What's the problem now?" Carth asked, once again catching an expression Brinna would have rather he not seen.

"The problem now is that you seem to think you're off the hook. Well, you're not. You owe me an explanation," Brinna said, deciding that she might as well incur Carth's wrath while she was at it.

His expression darkened and he informed her that she could not badger him just because they were working together. This naturally led to some bickering back and forth but Brinna could sense that she was wearing him down. By this time, they had left the apartments and had reached the upper city walkways. Carth stopped and stared out at the decaying skyscrapers of Taris, Brinna waiting patiently beside him.

She had no further desire to provoke him. His eyes clearly expressed the anger, guilt, and sorrow that he struggled with as he began to speak and Brinna knew instantly that he was confiding in her and that it was something he did not do every day. His voice was tortured as he spoke and Brinna felt her heart going out to him.

Finally, Brinna learned of the true source of Carth's anger: Saul Karath. He had been Carth's commanding officer and mentor during the Mandalorian Wars and Brinna could clearly see that Carth had truly admired the man. His face twisted into an expression of anger and pain as he told her of Saul's defection to the Sith and his attempt to recruit Carth. When Carth told her that Saul was responsible for the bombing of Telos, her eyes went wide. He had chosen that moment to glance at her and the smile he gave her was grim. Brinna couldn't help but shudder at the expression. It didn't extend to his eyes, which looked dead and cold at the painful recollection. It was no wonder the man didn't trust easily.

After a moment, Brinna ventured to ask him if he blamed himself for trusting his friend. Carth told her that he blamed Saul, not himself, and that Saul would regret it if Carth ever caught up with him. The vehemence in his voice and the conviction in his eyes chilled Brinna to her very core. From what she had seen and learned of him, it was obvious that Carth was a good man. Even though he gave her a hard time about her rash actions, he was right with her when it came to defending and freeing the less fortunate and the oppressed. To hear him speak of his determination to get revenge on Saul was almost devastating. Brinna was nearly overwhelmed by the compassion she felt for him and the anger she felt toward Saul. The admiral had ruined a good man and had probably not lost a single wink of sleep over it.

When she was finally able to speak, Brinna told him that she felt awful for him and he reluctantly confessed that there was more to the story but refused to discuss it any further. He then set off toward the shops and Brinna trailed along in his wake. She truly ached for Carth and wished she could think of something to say that might offer some sort of consolation to him but she knew that nothing she could say would make any difference.

She was seeing Carth through new eyes. His hostility, his paranoia, it all made sense to her now. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a trusted friend turn as Saul had. He hadn't simply betrayed Carth; he had bombed Carth's homeworld into oblivion and, in the process, had likely killed more than a few of Carth's friends. Brinna couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be the victim of such a betrayal.

Carth's vehemence had also worried her. She now understood that he was a man obsessed with his need for revenge and it was clear to her that he didn't really care what happened to him in his pursuit of that revenge. Brinna had not yet known Carth to be truly reckless but she feared that if Saul came into the picture, there wouldn't be anything to stop Carth. His single-minded focus on his need for vengeance could compromise the mission and could be Carth's undoing. She did not want to see either scenario come into being. Brinna wanted so badly to be Carth's friend but she had no idea how to go about it. He had already made it clear to her that he did not intend to trust anyone and she didn't know how she could overcome that obstacle. It was clear to her, though, that he was truly in need of a friend and she decided that she would do all she could to figure out a way to see to it that she became that friend.

They were quiet as they sold off some of their extra supplies in exchange for food. The sun was setting as they walked back to the apartment complex and Brinna heard Carth take a deep breath. She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he was studying the sunset with a morose expression. Then, suddenly, he turned and caught her looking at him and regarded her with a raised eyebrow.  
"I was just wondering how those old bones of yours are doing," Brinna said, lightly.

To her relief, he cracked a smile. "Enough already," he told her.

"Well, like you said, I am very immature."

"Yes, but you could at least try to act your age."

"But then I wouldn't have any excuse for provoking you."

She smiled as Carth laughed and shook his head. "I can't even imagine the peace I'd have if you didn't have an excuse for provoking me," he sighed.

"You'd be bored, admit it," she told him.

"I think I could handle being bored," he responded. "Seriously, though, you did really well today. Your performance in the race was impressive. And even if she won't acknowledge it, Bastila is grateful for your help."

"Oh yeah, I know. I was nearly overwhelmed by her gratitude," Brinna said, sarcastically.

"Maybe she's just jealous," Carth said.

"Jealous?" Brinna asked, confused.

"Jealous of your swoop bike skill," he said, smiling.

"Who isn't?"

Carth laughed and Brinna felt quite gratified. The sound of his laughter even made up for Bastila and her rude behavior. If the Jedi refused to have a sense of humor, at least Carth did, in spite of all his inner turmoil.

Brinna found herself once again studying Carth out of the corner of her eye. From the moment she had first laid eyes on him, she hadn't been able to help but notice what an attractive man he was, but when he smiled he was really something to look at, which was one of the many reasons why she enjoyed making him laugh.

"Well, beautiful, you ready to face Bastila once again?" he asked her, in a jesting tone.

She liked being called "beautiful" by him. She liked it a lot. That was why she decided she had better try her best to dissuade him from calling her that.

"Don't make me call you 'sexist worm' again, flyboy," she said, giving him a stern glance.

"Right, because 'flyboy' is so much better," he said, sarcastically. "Why do you call me that anyway when you keep insisting that I'm old?"

"Because Gamorrean pig-man takes too long to say," she answered, breezily.

"You're a real sweetheart, you know that?" he asked her, sending her a look of mock-anger.

"So I've been told," she said, opening the door to the apartment.

The evening passed pleasantly enough, as long as she stayed away from Bastila. Just when Brinna had thought no one could be more uptight than Carth, the Jedi had come along and proved her wrong. Between Carth, Bastila, and Zaalbar the melancholy Wookie, Brinna was convinced she might have lost her sanity were it not for Mission. The more time she spent with the young Twi'lek, the more Brinna liked her. Mission was like the smart-mouthed little sister Brinna had never had.

_The smart-mouthed little sister I maybe could have had, once upon a time,_ she thought, sadly.


	5. The Scouring of the Sith Base

Brinna awoke the next morning to a truly evil sound. It struck fear into the core of her very heart in a way that no rakghoul or Sith soldier could ever hope to achieve.

"Wake up," a voice said, brusquely. "We have little time to waste in lying about, despite what you seem to think."

"Whaaaa?" Brinna asked, opening her eyes and peering blearily at the form that was standing at the side of her bed. Arms crossed, lips pursed, and foot tapping impatiently, Bastila was glaring down at Brinna.

_Evil. She's pure evil. She's pure, unadulterated evil!_ Brinna thought, as she continued to stare at Bastila, unable to quite comprehend that the Jedi was waking her up in a scolding manner that would have been better suited to a two-year-old.

Feeling her hackles rising, Brinna did her best to blink the sleep out of her eyes. She gazed across the apartment and saw Carth sitting by the door, apparently doing his best to pretend he was not aware of what was happening no more than twenty feet away from him.

"Carth and I have been up for hours waiting on you," Bastila said, in her best schoolmarm tone.

Brinna's eyes were still on Carth and she could see quite clearly from the expression on his face that he wished Bastila had left him out of it.

"Big Z, tell your girlfriend to shut up," Mission murmured in her sleep.

Bastila's mouth fell open and her outrage was plain on her face. Carth snickered but did his best to hide it behind his hand, which made Brinna snicker in turn. He turned his head and noticed Brinna's gaze and gave her a covert wink.

"Rauugggh," Zaalbar responded, not sounding too thrilled about Bastila's wakeup call either. Brinna hoped that Bastila didn't understand the Wookie; otherwise, the Jedi would be less than thrilled with what Zaalbar had just called her.

"I'm up, I'm up," Brinna said, grouchily. She coaxed herself into a sitting position, stretching her arms over her head before rubbing her hands over her face, doing her best to dislodge the grit in the corners of her eyes.

"Hurry. We have wasted a great deal too much time already," Bastila said.

"And I was having such a pleasant dream about rescuing you yesterday," Brinna said, her tone belying her annoyance.

Mission gave what could only be defined as a loud snort of laughter, which she immediately tried to cover up by pretending she was in the midst of a coughing fit.

"What's going on?" the Twi'lek asked, blinking her eyes as though her coughing had awakened her.

Bastila glared at both of them and flounced back over to where Carth was sitting, resolutely ignoring Brinna and Mission as she began drinking out of a mug and talking quietly to Carth.

"And I thought the Tarisian nobles were bad," Mission whispered to Brinna as the Twi'lek made a big show of yawning.

"You were awake the whole time, weren't you?" Brinna asked her, amused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mission said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"You should have left me at the mercy of the Gamorrean slavers," Zaalbar groused as he too rose from his bed.

Brinna burst into loud laughter and both Carth's and Bastila's heads swiveled in her direction. The expression on Bastila's face caused Brinna to choke and she turned and hurried over to the apartment's sink, splashing cold water on her face while imploring herself to be calm. It couldn't have been pleasant for Bastila to have been at the mercy of Brejik, which must surely be the explanation for her rude behavior.

_Yeah, keep telling yourself that,_ Brinna thought as she dried her face and then combed her hair and pulled it back. She had just enough time to bolt down some breakfast before Bastila practically hauled her out of the door, calling instructions to Mission and Zaalbar over her shoulder. Carth looked at Bastila with a raised eyebrow and it seemed that the Jedi had actually heard something of what he had said yesterday because she looked somewhat abashed and closed her mouth with an almost audible snap.

As soon as they stepped out of the door, Brinna was accosted by an alien who announced he came bearing a message from Canderous Ordo. Brinna exchanged a surprised look with Carth, much to Bastila's confusion. The alien was sent off with the assurance that Brinna would seek Canderous out at the upper city cantina as instructed.

"He's a Mandalorian mercenary working for Davik," Carth explained to Bastila as they set off.

"What could he want with you?" Bastila asked Brinna. By the tone of her voice, she might as well have asked Brinna what anyone could want with bog slime such as her.

_Patience,_ Brinna told herself. "I have no idea," Brinna responded, making her voice so sweet that she gave herself a toothache. "I would suggest that we go find out. Hold on just a minute, though. I have one thing I need to do before we go down to the cantina."

Brinna entered the apartment next to hers and found an anxious-looking Dia within. The smile that spread over her face at the news that Holdan had called off the bounty was a gratifying sight to Brinna. Dia was so pleased that she offered a family heirloom to Brinna, an offer that Brinna graciously rejected. Bastila made a pompous comment about the aide they'd offered to Dia and Brinna looked over at Carth with an incredulous expression. He looked rather flabbergasted by Bastila's taking credit for work she had not done but he shrugged helplessly at Brinna and said nothing.

_So help me, when I report back to the Republic at the end of all this, I'm demanding hazard pay for working with this rancor-cum-Jedi._

It wasn't long until they found out exactly what Canderous wanted. Brinna was a bit surprised by his bluntness but she knew instantly that he was not being deceptive and that, however unlikely it seemed, he had every intention of carrying through on his promise to help her get off Taris. She knew that Bastila sensed it too and she could practically have spoken the words along with Bastila.

Disconcerted, she cast a look back at the Jedi. An unreadable expression passed over the Jedi's face and Brinna would have studied her more intently had Canderous not reclaimed her attention. For the moment, the strange occurrence would have to be overlooked but Brinna carefully stowed it in the back of her mind for future analysis. She told Canderous that she would break into the Sith base to steal the launch codes and Canderous told her she could purchase an astromech droid capable of breaking into the base from Janice Nall.

"I don't like the idea of trusting that merc," Carth groused as they left the cantina.

"Look, Carth, I'm not thrilled with the idea of being in league with a Mandalorian merc either but what other choice do we have?" Brinna asked him.

Carth sighed. "None. But I'll be keeping my eye on him."

"We'd hardly expect any less from you," Brinna told him, sarcastically.

Bastila looked from one to the other of them. Carth graced Brinna with a mild glare to which she responded with a sunny smile, before he turned and distracted Bastila by asking her how the Vulkars had managed to overcome her.

_Ahhh, that's beautiful,_ Brinna thought with a smug smile as Bastila admitted that she'd misplaced her lightsaber. Brinna suggested that maybe losing lightsabers was a side effect of Bastila's Battle Meditation and was rewarded with a very un-Jedi like look of outrage from Bastila. Carth wisely decided to back off without saying anything more other than a suggestion that Bastila might want to keep the loss of her lightsaber out of the history texts. Brinna had to give Bastila some credit for humility as Bastila protested at Carth's comments and then added that there were some things her Jedi Masters need not know about the mission.

"Before we get the droid we need to drop the serum off with Zelka," Brinna said, in a low voice. The streets were crowded with Sith and she didn't want anyone to overhead her. "We'll explain when we get there," she added, cutting Bastila off as the other woman opened her mouth to question them.

To Brinna's relief, Bastila complied with nothing more than a curt nod and they made it to Zelka's facility without incident. Once inside, Brinna introduced Bastila to Zelka and then gave him the serum. There were tears in the older man's eyes as he thanked Brinna for her help and gave them the good news that there was enough serum for him to be able to synthesize it and begin distributing it to the poor. Brinna once again refused a reward and was surprised to sense Bastila's approval of her actions. Maybe the Jedi wasn't quite as cold as she appeared to be, though Brinna was once more annoyed by Bastila's acceptance of Zelka's praise as if she'd been the one to recover the serum.

"Funny, I don't remember her fighting any rakghouls to get to it," Brinna muttered to Carth as they left the facility.

"Shhh," Carth admonished but he looked rather amused by Brinna's ire.

She opened her mouth to say something smart back to him but they were stopped by Gurney who berated Brinna for giving the serum to Zelka rather than Davik.

"I don't have time for you," Brinna said, coldly, glaring malevolently at Gurney as she passed.

"Wow," Carth said, his voice filled with something like awe. "I'm surprised he didn't turn into a block of ice on the spot."

"He's disgusting," Brinna practically spat.

She turned and caught Bastila studying her with an appraising look. The Jedi gave her a curt nod, apparently signifying her approval of Brinna's actions, before she was once more distracted by Carth, who asked if she'd ever considered joining Malak and Revan in the war against the Mandalorians.

As Brinna listened to Bastila spouting her Jedi rhetoric, she was surprised by the vehemence behind Bastila's words. Though she'd never personally known a Jedi before, Brinna had always been under the impression that they were the most serene and composed creatures in the galaxy. Clearly Bastila did not fit into this category. Brinna supposed she could understand Bastila's indignation against two Jedi who had chosen to disobey orders in favor of throwing themselves into the fray but she couldn't understand exactly why Bastila seemed as angry about the affair as she did. Curious, Brinna asked Bastila what the Masters had seen that had prevented them from coming to the aide of the Republic before they had. Bastila's voice was intense as she told Brinna that the Masters had sensed something out there that was devouring the Jedi.

Bastila's words were rather unsettling to Brinna but she doubted Carth had even heard them. He obviously felt that the Jedi abandoned the Republic and Brinna knew that a great deal of his anger was personal. Bastila, however, did not and she continued to argue the point with Carth until he angrily broke the conversation off. Brinna studied Carth out of the corner of her eye and the tormented look in his eyes caused a twinge in her heart. There was more to his story, a great deal more, she was sure of it. She only hoped he would open himself up to her and unburden himself of some of the anger and guilt he wore like a badge.

They arrived at Janice Nall's shop. Brinna felt badly for the prejudice the Twi'lek shop owner had faced but she took one look at their dwindling supply of credits and knew that they could ill afford to pay the asking price Janice quoted for T3-M4. Feeling rather guilty, Brinna used her most persuasive tone of voice and convinced Janice to drop the price a bit.

Brinna, Carth, and Bastila all agreed that it was best that they find the codes and report back to Canderous that day, so they set off for the Sith base immediately. Once again, Brinna had the uncanny sensation that she was in tune with Bastila's thoughts and it seemed that the Jedi was every bit as apprehensive as Brinna was. Ever since finding Bastila, Brinna had not been able to shake the feeling that something ominous was looming on the horizon and that they'd best get off Taris as soon as they could. It seemed Bastila had the same sentiments and Brinna could sense the whirl of Bastila's thoughts. She wondered if Bastila knew that Brinna could sense her thoughts. More unsettling, Brinna wondered if Bastila could also sense what was running through her own head.

Carth, it seemed, was blessedly unaware of anything strange between the two women. He had a looked of focused determination on his face but didn't seem troubled by anything that might be happening between Bastila and Brinna. In fact, he was so focused that he'd forgotten to shoot Brinna one of his usual suspicious looks, much to her relief. She could understand Carth's paranoia, she truly could. She simply did not like to be on the receiving end of it.

Breaking into the Sith base was ridiculously easy with T3's help and Brinna sent him off to their apartment base with a fond little pat of his metal head. He beeped appreciatively before rolling off. Brinna was positive that Mission would adopt the little droid the moment he slid through the apartment door and the thought made her smile.

"Happy?" Carth asked, as they stepped into the elevator that would take them into the bowels of the base.

"I'm always happy when I'm going off on a suicide mission," she told him, brightly. "I like nothing more than the thought of infiltrating a base full of merciless Sith."

"You scare me," he said, frankly.

She laughed and shook her head. "Lighten up, flyboy. What, do you think I'm some kind of psychopath? No, I was really smiling because I was thinking of how sure I am that Mission's going to take a shine to T3."

"Ah, gotcha," Carth said. She was annoyed to see that he relaxed, as if he'd really thought she had been serious about what she had said about breaking into the Sith base. "Yeah, I think you're right. She will love him."

Brinna frowned at him, leaving him looking at her with a puzzled expression. There was no further opportunity for conversation, however, as the doors slid open and they stepped into a reception area. There was a Twi'lek female behind the desk who questioned their presence. Brinna knew immediately that she was not a Sith and she offered the Twi'lek fifty credits to let them into the base without raising the alert. The Twi'lek was positively delighted as she took the fifty credits and left the base with the request that they wait until she was gone to start destroying the place.

"Wonderful security," Bastila said, as she watched the Twi'lek get on the elevator they had just vacated.

"Fortunately for us," Brinna said distractedly as she sliced into the Sith computer systems and took a look at the base's security camera feeds. With a few keystrokes, she made a few favorable adjustments to the situation in the base.

"Let's go," she said, grabbing her vibroblades and leading them through the first door.

Even with the droid shields Brinna had lowered and the Sith soldiers she'd fried by causing power conduits to malfunction, they still had many challenges to face as they made their way through the base. The initial base security had not been much to look at but the rest of the base was chock full of Sith who were more than willing to do their best to put down Republic infiltrators.

To Brinna's astonishment, they ran into the Duros who had hid the bodies of the Sith patrol that she and Carth had killed during the first day of their search for Bastila. He told Brinna how to disable the force field that held him captive in his cell and though she felt confident that she knew what she was doing, Brinna could not help but hold her breath until she successfully lowered the shield and set the alien free.

As they fought against Sith after Sith, Brinna could not help but grudgingly admit that Bastila knew how to wield her double-bladed lightsaber. Bastila's ability to deflect blaster bolts with her saber was also a huge boon to them and Brinna was glad to suffer fewer blaster burns than she had during her search for Bastila. The Jedi's Force abilities also came in handy, especially when they faced the Sith governor at the end. Even though he was outnumbered three to one, he still managed to give them a run for their credits until Bastila Force Stunned him, allowing them to finish him off in peace.

Using the handy papers Gadon had provided, Brinna, Carth, and Bastila went down into the lower city. Bastila and Carth were busy formulating whatever plans they could for their escape from Taris but Brinna was too distracted to really listen to what they said. Maybe it had escaped their notice, but Brinna was well aware of the fact that the Sith governor had referred to her as a "Force Adept." Perhaps Bastila and Carth thought that he had been referring to Bastila but Brinna knew that the man had directed his comment at her. His eyes had looked into hers with a gaze that was more knowing than Brinna liked. It was almost as if he had sensed something within her of which she herself was unaware. It was a disconcerting sensation, to say the least.

Brinna supposed that it wasn't a complete surprise; after all, Bastila herself had told Brinna that she suspected Brinna might be possessed of some untapped Force abilities. Still, somehow this assertion was less troubling coming from Bastila, as arrogant and unpleasant as the Jedi could be. At least Brinna knew she could trust Bastila. After all, Carth Onasi, the galaxy's least trusting person, placed a great deal of store in Bastila's abilities and importance to the Jedi Order and the Republic. If Bastila said she had Force abilities, she was speaking it as a truth and not out of any evil intent. Brinna could handle the news coming from Bastila. She could not, however, handle it from someone who represented everything she despised in the galaxy. She did not like the idea of her enemy having the ability to read into her in that way.

"Is something wrong?" Bastila asked, startling Brinna.

Looking up, Brinna saw that they had nearly reached Javyar's Cantina, where they were to rendezvous with Canderous. She turned to look at Bastila blankly and saw that both the Jedi and Carth were studying her with surprised expressions.

"No, why do you ask?" Brinna responded.

"Because we've been asking you questions for the last five minutes and you apparently haven't heard a word we've said," Carth told her.

Truly startled now, Brinna looked at the two of them. "You have?"

"Yes," Bastila said and Brinna had the sudden sensation of something tickling at her mind, as if Bastila was attempting to probe her thoughts.

_Nonsense_, Brinna told herself. _She can no more read your thoughts than you can read hers. What happened with Canderous in the upper city cantina was just a coincidence._

"It's…it's nothing, sorry. I was just thinking about something that happened at the Sith base but it's not important. I didn't mean to drift away there," Brinna said lamely.

Both Carth and Bastila studied her with skeptical expressions and Brinna was relieved to find that they had arrived at the cantina. Before either of them had a chance to say anything else to her, she stepped past the bouncer and into the cantina.

Canderous was waiting for them and, as promised, he unveiled the rest of his plan. Brinna listened in astonishment as he said he'd get her into Davik's estate by claiming that he had recruited her to work for the crime lord. More surprising than that, however, was his announcement that they could use the launch codes to steal Davik's ship, the Ebon Hawk, and flee from Taris. Bastila immediately balked at the suggestion but when Canderous asked if she had a better idea, she grudgingly admitted that she did not.

"It's a deal," Brinna said, before Carth or Bastila could say anything further. She believed Canderous was sincere and she was more convinced than ever that they needed to get off the planet and get off it fast, though she had no idea exactly why she was convinced of this.

"Excellent. I knew you were clever enough to understand that this is a sound plan," Canderous said, looking at Brinna with approval. "Are you ready to go to Davik's estate now?"  
"Yes. The sooner the better," Brinna said.

"Then we'll go immediately. You'd better only bring one of your friends with you, though. If I show up with a whole troop, Davik will get suspicious," Canderous told her.

Before she could even begin to think about who she should take, Carth said, "I'm coming." His was a tone that would brook no refusal.

"Carth…" Bastila began to protest.

"I think you should listen to your friend, princess," Canderous suggested, his tone rather derisive as he looked Bastila up and down. "Somehow I don't think showing up at Davik's estate with a Jedi in tow is good for anyone concerned."

Bastila was clearly incensed, both by Carth's immediately stating that he would go and by Canderous's words. She sputtered for a moment and Brinna took pity on her.

"Listen, Bastila, Canderous is right. It would look strange if you came with us. Why would Davik believe a Jedi would want to work for him? Carth and I are less conspicuous than you and, anyway, someone needs to look after Mission, although I'll deny it if you tell her I said that. The Sith could descend on that apartment at any minute and I don't want her or Zaalbar to be alone. If the Sith come knocking, Mission and Zaalbar are definitely going to need your help," Brinna told her.

Bastila looked slightly mollified thanks to Brinna's words and her persuasive tone but she was still clearly unhappy with the arrangements. "Very well," she said, grudgingly.

"We won't have much time once we steal that ship. We'll get a signal to you and you should meet us here," Canderous said, marking a spot on the map on Bastila's datapad.

"May the Force be with you," Bastila said before turning and leaving the cantina.

"Let's go," Canderous said, without any further fanfare.

Canderous led the way, Carth hot on his heels. Brinna followed behind the two men, studying the tense set of Carth's shoulders. She was only too certain that he probably enjoyed teaming up with a Mandalorian as much as he would have enjoyed teaming up with Saul Karath once again. Brinna was quite sure that Canderous was aware of Carth's unspoken hostility but it was clear that Canderous was not the least bit troubled by it.

When they reached Davik's estate, Canderous played the situation off exactly as he had told Brinna he would. She was surprised by how smooth the seemingly blunt warrior could be when he tried. Davik accepted Canderous's explanation without any signs of doubt, although his lapdog Calo Nord appeared to be much more suspicious, telling Canderous it was unlike him to work with others. Nord and Canderous were like two animals in a pit, circling around each other, each one waiting for the other to be the first to strike. Davik seemed both pleased and displeased by this situation. He clearly did not want his two best men fighting with one another but Brinna couldn't help but feel that Davik was pleased by the animosity seething between the two men. She found it very difficult to play along and pretend like she couldn't wait to work for Davik, she found the man so morally repugnant.

Davik took them on a little tour of his estate and showed them his ship with a not-so-veiled warning about the consequences they would face if they attempted to steal it. Brinna was unimpressed by Davik's warning but she was impressed by the Ebon Hawk. It was a larger ship than her own and had a sleek beauty that her own tidy little vessel couldn't quite claim. As a pilot, Brinna couldn't help but covet the ship and she could hardly wait to get on it and put it through its paces. If they had to lie, cheat, and steal in order to escape Taris, they might as well do it in style.

Finally, Davik left them in a guest room with the warning that they were not to stray from the guest quarters while he ran a check on them. In spite of herself, Brinna felt a cold finger of dread trail down her spine at Davik's words. He may have called them "guests" but it was quite clear to her that they were more prisoners than anything else.

"We don't have much time," Canderous said, as soon as Davik and Calo left the room. "Nord is already suspicious. Still, it'll take a few days before Davik realizes that anything is wrong."

"We're not waiting a few days," Brinna said, firmly. "But we still need to be smart about this. I'm assuming this place is under guard around the clock?"

"Of course," Canderous responded. "Under the watchful eye of the best and most unscrupulous guards and bounty hunters Davik can find."

"Well, that makes things easy," Brinna said, facetiously. "Still, it's too early right now. I think we'd be better off resting for a few hours and then trying to make a break for it first thing in the morning when there hopefully won't be as many guards around."

"I don't like the idea of staying here tonight but I think you're right," Carth said, reluctantly.

"Agreed," Canderous said.

"Good, then it's unanimous," Brinna said, brightly. Now that they were closed in a smaller space, Carth's animosity toward Canderous was even more apparent and the Mandalorian had started to look at Carth with something like an amused challenge in his eyes.

_Great, just what I need: a testosterone fest,_ Brinna thought.

"You two go ahead and rest. I'll keep watch first," Canderous said.

"No need. I rarely sleep anyway," Carth said, evenly.

"Is that so?" Canderous asked, seizing him up.

"Yes, it is," Carth said, toying oh-so-subtly with his vibroblades, which made Canderous smile rather predatorily.

"I have an even better idea. How about you both sleep with your fingers on the trigger while I keep watch? Just don't blast one another behind my back," Brinna suggested sarcastically.

"I like your friend. She's got style," Canderous told Carth, his smile changing to one of genuine amusement.

Carth did not look too pleased at Canderous's comment, which made Brinna want to grab him by the shoulders and shake him silly. It was fine for him to be as suspicious as he wanted when it came to her but if another man dared to say anything about her he felt he had to rush to defend her honor?

"Yeah, well, stick with me and you'll learn a thing or two. Both of you," she said, trying to draw the attention back to herself so that they two would stop looking at one another like kath hounds getting ready to challenge one another for the position of alpha male. "Now shut up and go to sleep."

Canderous laughed and Carth shot her a sour look but neither of them said another word as they each lay down. Carth stared directly at Brinna as if to prove to her that he had no intention of sleeping and she made a face at him before turning her back on him and facing the door. It was going to be a long night.


	6. Escape from Taris

In spite of Carth's best efforts, he did nod off for a bit. Brinna knew it for a fact; she had peeked at him several times while he was still awake and then had flat-out stared at him for a while as he slept. She told herself she really shouldn't do it but she couldn't tear her eyes away and, after a while, she stopped trying. There was just something compelling about looking at his sleeping face.

Even in sleep he didn't look completely peaceful. He frequently tossed and turned, murmuring and flinching, and Brinna found she was having a hard time controlling the urge to go over to him, perch herself on the side of his bed, and brush those errant strands of hair off his forehead.

_This is crazy. You should know better than to have thoughts like that,_ she told herself. _Since when do you let a simple attraction get out of control?_

But it didn't matter, this logical voice in her head. She was attracted to Carth and she was reaching a point where it was impossible to deny that attraction any longer. She had always prided herself on being a smart and independent woman and though she'd had a couple relationships she'd never had anything really lasting. Of course, she'd never met anyone with whom she wanted to have something lasting. Any man who could ever have any hope of being with her would have to respect and admire her for what she was. She was not about to change for any man, no matter how special. Because of this, she was very picky about men. She never allowed herself to be lured in by a gorgeous face alone and though Carth certainly fit that bill, it was only a part of her attraction to him. What she was drawn to was the small glimpses she got of the man she was positive he really was; the funny, skilled, and caring man that was buried somewhere inside all the bitterness and animosity.

And that was why she wanted to go and smooth the hair back from his head. He didn't have to be like he was, she was certain of that. Though she was positive that he would always have something of a serious intensity about him, she was also positive that he could be playful, that he could be relaxed, that he could be happy.

_And now you care about his happiness?_ a small voice in her head asked.

"Yes, I do," she whispered, startling herself by speaking out loud.

She glanced over at Carth and Canderous but luckily neither one of them seemed to have heard her talking to herself. Carth continued to look troubled in his sleep while Canderous looked as if he was sleeping like the dead.

Brinna knew she probably should have woken either Carth or Canderous at some point and tried to get some rest herself but her mind was so filled with confused thoughts that she probably would never have been able to sleep anyway. Aside from her thoughts of Carth, Brinna kept thinking about her weird experiences with Bastila and the assertion that she had some aptitude with the Force. She chewed at her thumbnail as she considered everything that had happened to her so far. She wasn't sure that she really believed in luck but it did seem like she had experienced an awful lot of it. Could it really be that what she had been experiencing was the guidance of the Force?

_That's ridiculous. You're twenty-eight years old. Have you ever found yourself questioning your fortunes before now? Have you ever once in all those years thought that maybe, possibly something might be out there guiding you along your way?_

The answer to that question was no. Until she had stepped aboard the Endar Spire, she had never once wondered if maybe there was more to herself than she realized. Until she had stepped aboard the Endar Spire, she had always been certain that she knew exactly who she was. Now, all of a sudden, her ordered, familiar world was being turned upside down and she didn't know why. Somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that it had to do with something other than being attacked by Sith and meeting Carth, Bastila, Canderous, Mission, and Zaalbar. She was uneasy about something but she didn't know what and that only made her all the more uneasy.

Finally, after six hours of exhaustive reflection, Brinna stood up from her seat and stretched, deciding that it was high time to break their way off Taris. That doing so would also distract her from the thoughts that were beginning to make her feel a little crazy was just an added bonus.

She only managed a single step away from her chair before both Carth and Canderous sat bolt upright, weapons at the ready. Brinna shook her head as she looked at the two of them. She hadn't even had a chance to wonder what would be the best way of going about waking them when they had both snapped to attention, as if they hadn't been sleeping at all.

"Remind me to tread carefully around the two of you when you're sleeping," Brinna said softly, shaking her head in amazement. "Maybe someone should have warned me about soldier reflexes."

Canderous grinned at her. "You think that's impressive? Had you been an enemy, you would have been long dead by now."

"I don't doubt it," Brinna said, eyeing the vibroblades that Canderous had somehow made appear out of thin air.

Carth was already out of bed and suiting up. "Let's get going," he said.

"We should head down the corridor to the right first. There are slave quarters there. They may be able to tell us something," Canderous suggested.

"Davik keeps slaves?" Carth asked, his tone clearly expressing his disgust.

"Does that surprise you?" Canderous snorted.

"Of course not. He's such a charming guy after all," Brinna said, sarcastically.

"I'm no thief but I'm really beginning to think that our taking his ship would just be dealing Davik what's due to him," Carth said.

"I agree," Brinna told him.

They fell silent as they stepped through the door. The corridor was well-lit, even in the wee hours, but that didn't surprise Brinna. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any guards about and they made it into the slave quarters without incident.

What Canderous had failed to tell them and what Brinna quickly learned was that Davik's slaves weren't there just for menial labor, they were pleasure slaves. She studied the room about her with raised eyebrows and actually felt herself blush as Davik's male Twi'lek slave told her of the "sumptuous" baths and "soothing" massages he could offer her.

"Uh…no thanks," she said, very aware of Carth's rather amused gaze on her. "I'm really just looking for some information and I thought maybe you could help me."  
The slave was understandably reluctant to share much for fear of punishment at Davik's hands. Through gentle coaxing, Brinna was finally able to get him to tell her about Hudrow, Davik's captive pilot, who might be able to help them bypass the security system that held the ship on Davik's estate. Brinna thanked the Twi'lek and promised to praise him highly to Davik.

"I feel dirty now," Brinna moaned quietly to Carth as Canderous walked a bit ahead of them to scout the corridors.

"I thought you handled the situation very well," he told her diplomatically, but she could see a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Go ahead, laugh at me if you must," she said, exasperated. "I didn't exactly see you chatting up the female slaves in exchange for information."

"Why would I do that when you're so much more persuasive than me?" he asked her, quirking an eyebrow at her as his smile slowly spread over his face.

"Yeah, well, maybe next time I should use my persuasiveness to persuade you to do the dirty work for once," she grumbled but she smiled in return.

They made their way through the estate, bribing bounty hunters along the way to prevent them from sounding the alarm. They stumbled into the room of a most displeased Tarisian noble. Though it killed Brinna to do it, she posed as one of Davik's lackeys and did her best to soothe the noble so that he wouldn't call for the guards. When they finally left the room, Brinna just knew that Carth was laughing at her once again but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking at him and allowing him to do it to her face.

Time moved by and Brinna was just getting nervous about how long it was taking when they finally found the room where Hudrow was imprisoned. He was enclosed in some sort of shield and it was clear to see that he was in agonizing pain from the way he clutched his head and did his best to cower away from the torture droids that were circulating the room.

As they entered, the droids sensed their presence and Brinna got her own taste of the torture that poor Hudrow had suffered. She gasped and bit her lip as one of the droids hit her. She really wanted to scream but didn't dare make that much noise. Carth saw her take the hit and he sprang at the droid, hitting it hard and diverting its attention from her to him. He was prepared for it, though, and was able to dodge the shot it took at him. The pain had stunned her for a moment but Brinna gritted her teeth and sprang to help Carth. On the other side of the room, Canderous was dealing with the other droid with a zeal and skill that was both impressive and frightening. Carth was just dealing the final blow to the droid he and Brinna were fighting when Canderous moved over to the console that controlled the torture field.

"Are you all right?" Carth asked Brinna, who was clutching her injured side.

"I'll survive," she said, cringing.

Carth gently moved her hands aside and he too winced at her charred flesh. Without another word, he pulled a medpac out and used it on her and in a few seconds she felt the fog lifting as the pain cleared away.

"Thanks," she told him, her eyes meeting his.

"Don't mention it," he said, dropping her gaze as he fiddled with his pack.

Canderous had disabled the torture field, to the obvious relief of Hudrow, who thanked them profusely. He confirmed that he had once been Davik's pilot and was more than happy to give them the security codes they needed before fleeing the estate as quickly as he could.

"We got what we came for. We should get going," Canderous told them.

Brinna nodded her agreement and they picked up their pace, moving as swiftly and quietly through the estate as they were able. Even so, they frequently caught the attention of the guards wandering the corridors and watching over the rooms and Brinna began to get the sinking feeling that they were not possibly going to be able to escape without attracting Davik's notice.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion that rocked the whole estate. Brinna, Carth, and Canderous were all thrown against the wall of the corridor they'd been jogging down and all three of them exchanged looks.

"What was that?" Brinna asked.

"I don't know but it sure didn't sound good," Canderous said. "We'd better hurry it up. That was no blaster we heard."

"It wasn't a grenade either," Carth said, looking confused. "In fact, it sounded more like a laser cannon."

Brinna's eyes widened. "A laser cannon? Well, that can't be good. Come on, let's move!"

They abandoned all pretense of stealth and began to flat-out run through the corridors, racing toward the hangar where Davik kept his ship. They ran into some more of Davik's guards in his spice works but they too were distracted by the rumblings of explosions that could be heard in the distance and didn't prove to be much of a challenge because of it. Brinna's heart was pounding as she slammed the pass card they'd lifted from a dead guard into the security console they found in the room before the hangar. She quickly punched the buttons necessary to disable the hangar door lock and then the three of them ran straight for the hangar.

Unfortunately, it seemed Davik and Calo Nord had the same idea. The two men had entered from a door across the hangar and Davik was babbling to Nord about how they'd better hurry and get off the planet before the Sith bombed it into oblivion.

_The Sith are bombing the planet? But why?_ Brinna wondered, confused. She glanced quickly over at Carth.

"Bastila," he said, quietly.

For a split second she had no idea what he was talking about and then she understood. Somehow, the Sith had discovered for a fact that Bastila had crashed on the planet and they had begun the bombardment to see to it that she would not make it off Taris alive. Brinna felt a cold fear descend over her at the realization that the Sith would callously destroy millions, perhaps billions, of innocent lives in order to stop one single person.

She didn't have long to think of that at the moment, though, as Davik had noticed their presence. He and Calo Nord stopped in their tracks and Brinna, Carth, and Canderous followed suit. Explosions rocked through the estate as the bounty hunter and the crime lord faced the three would-be ship thieves.

"Thieves in the hangar," Davik sneered. "Were you really stupid enough to think that you could get away with my ship?"

"Oh, I don't know. Why don't you let me know once we're onboard and you're watching us fly away," Canderous suggested.

"I knew there was something funny about you, Mandalorian," Nord said to him.

"You were a fool to cross me, Nord. You should have realized that from the very start," Canderous said, in a dangerous tone of voice.

"Enough!" Davik cried. "I am not going to stand here and let the Sith blast me into pieces. I'm going to show you three just how deadly serious I was when I warned you not to even think about taking my ship."

Brinna instinctively dodged to the side as Davik and Nord pulled their blasters and began firing away at her, Carth, and Canderous. She enabled her energy shield, which allowed her to at least ignore the blaster bolts that were being sent her way in rapid succession. She suspected that it would be suicide for her to rush Davik and Nord with her vibroblades so she hastily pulled a couple of random grenades from her pack and lobbed them at Davik. Canderous and Carth had made for Nord but when Carth saw that Brinna had stunned Davik with a concussion grenade, he changed direction and headed for Davik instead. Canderous, however, had his own agenda, and continued after Nord.

Cursing under her breath, Brinna abandoned her plan to stay back and launch the crime lord and the bounty hunter into the afterlife courtesy of her explosives. She rushed over to Carth and helped him out with Davik. Thanks to her well-aimed grenade, they were able to finish him off before he recovered and Davik slumped to the ground with a low gurgle.

Carth and Brinna turned to go help Canderous but at that moment a tremendous explosion rocked through the hangar, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. Brinna was still struggling to regain her footing when she looked up and saw that Nord had managed to get away from Canderous and was now brandishing an explosive. She went stock still and, glancing at her two companions, could see that they had done the same.

"You may have me outnumbered and outgunned but if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me," Nord announced.

Positive that this moment was to be her last, Brinna closed her eyes and turned her head. There was another loud explosion and then a cry of pain from Calo Nord but, miraculously, Brinna did not seem to be dead. She opened her eyes and glanced around her in stunned amazement.

"The Sith!" Canderous shouted, running over toward them.

Behind him, Brinna could see a mound of rubble that was covering whatever was left of Calo Nord. She couldn't help but shudder as she turned back toward Carth.

"Look out!" Canderous shouted.

There wasn't even time for Brinna to turn and look at the Mandalorian. Carth, who was still facing Canderous, suddenly sprang, knocking Brinna several feet back. The air rushed out of her lungs as she hit the ground hard and her vision went black for a second. Gasping loudly as air entered her lungs once more, she realized that Carth was crouched protectively over her, using his body to shield hers as debris rained down on them. Fortunately for them, the bulk of it was dust. However, the spot where she had been standing not thirty seconds ago was obscured by a large, metal beam.

"Are you all right?" Carth panted, looking down at her.

She found that she was speechless and so she nodded instead. Carth's hair was coated in dust and she realized that she was staring at him stupidly, causing him to look down at her in concern.

"MOVE!" Canderous screamed, yanking Carth to his feet and then doing the same with Brinna.

Brinna's hair had escaped its tie during the scuffle and she had to push it out of her eyes with trembling fingers as the three of them ran for the Ebon Hawk. Carth sprinted for the cockpit, Brinna and Canderous on his heels. He threw himself into the pilot seat and immediately began punching the controls. Brinna was reassured by the calm that seemed to come over him as he operated the ship.

"We need to hurry and get your friends and get out of here before there's nothing left of this planet," Canderous told them.

Carth nodded curtly. Canderous ran from the cockpit to see to the ship's engines and Brinna sank into the co-pilot's chair in something of a daze. Carth's face was furrowed with concentration as he flew around the crumbling buildings with impressive skill. Brinna tried not to watch the buildings falling, tried not to think about all the innocent people that were dying. They reached the rendezvous point and Brinna ran from the cockpit to the loading bay, watching with relief as T-3, Mission, Zaalbar, and Bastila raced onto the ship. Mission's young face was marred by a lock of abject horror and Brinna found herself taking the Twi'lek teen into her arms and giving her a brief hug before she turned and ran, following Bastila into the cockpit.

"Plot a course for Dantooine! There's a Jedi Enclave there," Bastila shouted, dropping into the co-pilot seat and accessing the ship's navigational systems.

Brinna grabbed for the back of Bastila's seat, nearly knocked off her feet by yet another explosion. She watched with growing horror as Carth flew them through the destruction. They left the planet's atmosphere and Brinna saw a huge ship looming before them, its laser cannons sending out beam after beam toward the planet's surface. Their escape did not go unnoticed, however, and Bastila shouted for Brinna to get to the gun turrets to destroy the fighters that were pursuing them.

Her heart was now beating so fast that Brinna worried it might explode. She found herself in the gun turret so quickly that she was amazed at her own speed. Shoving her hair out of her way, she dropped into the seat and jammed the headset over her head before turning and focusing on the fighters that were in pursuit.

Never in her life had Brinna sat in a ship's gun turret. She'd had to outrun other ships during her scouting career but she'd never been involved in a space battle. Yet she seemed to instinctively adapt to the controls of the turret and in the space of mere seconds she'd managed to dispatch three of the six ships.

_How do I know how to do this?_ she wondered incredulously as she hit and destroyed a fourth ship.

She pushed the thought away. There was no time to think about it now; she needed to get rid of the other two fighters that were tailing them before they reduced the Ebon Hawk to interstellar rubble. She was shaking as she gave the shot that destroyed the final fighter and she staggered out of the turret and back down to the cockpit.

"Well done," Bastila said, in a controlled voice.

Brinna said nothing in response, staring blankly into space as Bastila and Carth began arguing about whether or not they should make for Dantooine. After a moment, she roused herself and voiced her agreement with Carth. Bastila's voice softened as she told them that they couldn't run forever, that they'd need to rest. Brinna and Carth relented and a course for Dantooine was plotted. Their talk turned to the destruction of Taris and Carth's voice was very sympathetic as he spoke of Mission and what she must be feeling.

"How long will it take to get to Dantooine?" Brinna asked.

"About twelve hours," Carth told her.

"Fine. I'm going to talk to Mission and then rest. I'll be back in six hours to relieve you two."

She left the cockpit before either of them could have a chance to reply. She walked into the main crew room of the ship and saw Zaalbar standing there morosely, T-3 stationed nearby and emitting a series of low beeps.

"Where is Mission?" Brinna asked Zaalbar.

"The bunkroom to the left. She wouldn't talk to me," he said mournfully.

Brinna laid a sympathetic hand on the Wookie's arm as she passed by him. She walked down the corridor he had indicated and found the bunkroom at the end of it. A dazed-looking Mission was standing inside and Brinna felt her heart breaking for the girl. She embraced Mission and then gently led her over to the bunks, coaxing her to sit down on one of them.

Mission was suffering from shock and couldn't say much but she seemed reassured by Brinna's presence. Brinna sat with her until Mission was asleep and then she rose and scrubbed her hands over her face, wanting to rub her eyes until the images of destruction burned in her brain were wiped away. She sighed and ran a shaky hand through her hair as she decided that she'd best at least attempt to get some sleep.

Sleep eluded her, just as she'd expected, and she lay in the bunk for the next several hours, her mind racing as it tried to process everything that had happened to her since the Endar Spire had gone down. She finally gave up on sleep and went to the cockpit a little early, ordering Carth and Bastila out of it and instructing them to rest.

_You're starting to sound like Bastila,_ she told herself but, for the moment, she couldn't muster enough effort to care. She needed a little time to herself.

Shedding her armor and welcoming the cool air against the arms bared by her sleeveless top, Brinna sank down into the pilot's seat. Calm gradually returned to her as she examined its controls and stared out into the black depths of space. She kicked her boots off and pulled her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees, her hair spilling around her face.

The destruction of Taris had dredged up old memories for her, memories that she usually tried to avoid. She closed her eyes and a single tear slipped down her cheek as she began to sing softly to herself. The song was as familiar as her own name and even though it had been years since she had sung it, her voice did not falter. When she was finished, she opened her eyes once more and suddenly sensed that she was not alone.

She turned to see Carth standing at the entrance to the cockpit, studying her with a serious expression. Wordlessly, he moved into the room and sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Brinna sighed and turned her attention back to the view of space, hugging her knees even more closely to her chest.

"What was that you were singing?" Carth finally asked, after a long silence.

"Were you eavesdropping on me?" Brinna asked, with a faint smile.

She could feel his gaze on her but she continued to stare out at the stars speeding by. "Maybe," he said.

"My father used to sing it, back when he took me with him on his scouting expeditions," Brinna told him.

"You learned to scout from your father?"

She nodded. "It was pretty much a way of life for me. From the time I was a little girl, he'd take me along with him. My mother hated it."

There was another silence, this one shorter than the last, and then Carth said, "You have a really nice voice."

Brinna smiled and finally turned to look at him. "Thanks," she said. "If you're going to be complimentary about it, I suppose you can eavesdrop whenever you want."

"Thank you," he said, smiling faintly at her. He was studying her with those intense brown eyes of his and Brinna felt herself blushing slightly. "You look different with your hair down."

Self-consciously, she reached a hand to her disheveled hair. "I'm not sure that's a compliment," she told him.

"It is," he said, quietly.

She blushed once more and put her feet back on the floor, turning slightly to see him better. "Listen," she said. "I wanted to thank you for saving my life once again."

"And I'll tell you again that you don't need to thank me," he responded, turning to look out at space himself. His face had taken on a hard look and as Brinna studied him, a shock of realization came over her.

"That…that large ship. It was…" she began, her voice faltering.

"Saul's," Carth finished for her, his tone steely.

Brinna closed her eyes briefly as Carth's pain radiated outward and washed over her. "Carth, I'm sorry. I know…"

"Look, I understand," he said, cutting in on her speech. "We had to get away from Taris, there's no question about it. Bastila has to get back to the Jedi."

Brinna didn't know what to say and so she didn't say anything for a long time. She felt this was an inadequate response but then it was Carth who had come into the cockpit so he had presumably been looking for her. Though Brinna was less than impressed with her own skill, it seemed that he derived some sort of comfort from being around her and she found that she was glad of it.

"Was that…was that how it was when Telos was destroyed?" she asked, hesitantly. She didn't want to open old wounds but she was truly convinced that he needed to talk about it.

"Yeah," he said. She looked over at him again and could see a muscle in his jaw working as he bit the word off.

"It was horrible," Brinna said, quietly.

Carth turned to look at her with a grim smile. "And it was my old mentor's ship that did it, just like Telos."

Brinna shuddered at the coldness of the words and at the horrifying truth behind them. "How could anyone do something like that?" she whispered.

"I don't know. But if I see him again, I'll be sure he pays for it."

"Carth…" she began, but he shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, his voice tense.

"Don't you think you need to?" she asked, gently.

"No, I don't. I definitely think I don't need to talk about it right now," he responded, turning his head and looking at her, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Fine, fine," she said, holding her hands up.

"Look, I know you mean well. It's just… It's just better if you let it drop," he told her.

"I can't do that," she said, softly, looking directly at him. "I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I can't let it drop. I can see that it's eating you up inside and that bothers me."

He turned away from her, clearly struggling with his emotions. Brinna's heart ached for him and she wished he'd open up to her, wished he'd tell her the whole story and let her help him get through his pain.

But it was not to be, not that she was really surprised. "Well don't let it bother you," he said softly, rising from his seat and leaving the cockpit.

Brinna sighed quietly and drew her legs back up to her chest. This time, though, instead of resting her chin on her knees, she buried her face in them. Her voice was muffled as she started singing again.


	7. Meeting with the Council

Brinna's lack of sleep was catching up with her as the Hawk approached Dantooine and she began to prepare for landing. She stifled a yawn as she flipped the appropriate switches and hit the appropriate buttons. Carth had not returned and she did her best not to think about the rather bad ending to their latest conversation. But then when had any of their conversations really ended on a good note? The man was so frustratingly stubborn that it made Brinna want to tear all the hair out of her head.

"Good morning," a voice said, breaking into her reflections on Carth. Bastila walked into the cockpit and took a seat in the co-pilot's chair. "Where's Carth?"

"What am I, his keeper?" Brinna asked grumpily. "I have no idea where he is."

Bastila studied her with a look that Brinna decided to call "Jedi condescension". In spite of the look, Brinna had to admit that she had pretty much bitten Bastila's head off for no real reason. She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes before reaching behind her head and gathering her hair into a tail and tying it back.

"I'm sorry," Brinna apologized. "I just haven't had much sleep in the last couple of days."

"You're not the only one," Bastila sniffed.

"I know," Brinna said, exasperated. Bastila was impossible and Brinna didn't know why she'd even bothered trying to apologize.

"When we land, I must meet with the Council. The rest of you should wait here while I'm gone. I would suggest that you try getting some rest. The Council may have need of you yet."

Brinna turned her face away from Bastila and allowed herself the indulgence of a sour expression. So far her experiences with the Jedi had been so trying that the last thing she really wanted was to be at the beck and call of the Council.

"Whatever's necessary," she told Bastila.

The landing on Dantooine was smooth and Bastila was up and out of her seat before the ship had even fully touched down. Brinna felt her sense of grouchiness increasing as she watched Bastila disappear from the cockpit. She only hoped that she wouldn't run into Carth on her way to the women's bunks or he'd probably find himself on the receiving end of her ire, whether he actually deserved it or not.

Fortunately for her, T-3 was the only inhabitant of the ship she saw on her way to the bunks. She entered quietly and was glad for making the effort as she immediately saw that Mission was still sleeping. Brinna's heart tugged sympathetically as she looked at the teen. Mission must have been emotionally exhausted after having witnessed the horrors of the previous day. Brinna would make a point of speaking to her later that day to make sure that Mission was all right.

With a soft moan of appreciation, Brinna lay down on her bunk. She had been convinced that the prim and proper Bastila would leave her own bunk so neat that Brinna's slightly disarrayed bunk would look like a complete mess in comparison. To her surprise, it seemed the great Jedi was something of a slob. Her bed looked as if kath hounds had got to it, it was in such disarray. Brinna couldn't refrain from smiling smugly as she looked at it.

_Not so perfect after all,_ she thought.

The bunks on the Ebon Hawk were a lot more comfortable than the bunks on Brinna's ship and though comfort alone hadn't been enough to coax her into sleep the previous night, it was now. By the time she opened her eyes again, she felt incredibly refreshed and was in a much more charitable frame of mind.

Mission was no longer in her bunk and Bastila had not yet come to rouse Brinna, so she assumed that Bastila must still be meeting with the Council while everyone else cooled their heels. She was glad about this as it would give her time to make use of the Ebon Hawk's facilities to clean herself up.

When she was finished, she wandered out into the main room of the ship, tying her damp hair back as she walked. Mission, Zaalbar, and T-3 were all there but Carth and Canderous were nowhere to be found. Mission was toying listlessly with a food packet while Zaalbar studied her with concern.

"Hey," Brinna said softly as she seated herself next to the Twi'lek.

"Hey," Mission responded.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Mission said with an unconvincing attempt at a smile.

"No, you're not," Brinna said, firmly.

"How do you know?" Mission asked, rather belligerently.

Brinna was actually gratified by this response. The spunky Mission was still there, she was just currently buried underneath an understandable layer of grief.

"Because you're not eating. I have yet to see you have a problem with that," Brinna told her.

Mission sighed and pushed the food away from her, studying her hands for a moment before she looked up at Brinna. Her eyes were bright with tears and Brinna reached out and covered Mission's hands with one of her own. Mission took a shaky breath.

"I can't stop thinking about Taris," she told Brinna.

"I know," Brinna said, squeezing Mission's hand. "It must have been horrible for you."

"It was," Mission said, grimly. "I mean, you know it wasn't exactly a paradise but it was home, ya know? It wasn't perfect but it still wasn't easy to watch it being blown up like that. I think about all the people I knew…Gadon…the Beks… It's just hard to accept that they're all dead."

"Death is never easy to accept," Brinna told her. She knew that from experience.

"I just have nowhere to go now. I mean, Griff ran off to who knows where and now Taris is gone. I'm more thankful than I can say that Big Z's still with me, but I've lost everyone else I know."

"I'll take care of you, Mission," Zaalbar said, his voice tinged with protective ferocity.

"We'll take care of each other, just like we always have," Mission said, smiling rather sadly at her Wookie friend.

"You haven't lost everyone else, Mission. You haven't lost me. I'm not going to turn my back on you now. I'll take you wherever you want to go. Or you can stay with me and I'll be happy to have you. I could always use another hand or two on my scouting missions," Brinna told her.

"You're really amazing, you know that?" Mission asked, shaking her head and smiling at Brinna. "I've only known you for a few days but you've already saved both me and Big Z. You're a true friend."

"I'm very glad to have you and Zaalbar with me," Brinna told her. "You've both been a lot of help on this mission. Bastila would not have been found without your help."

"That might have been for the best, don't ya think?" Mission suggested, with an impish grin.

Brinna laughed out loud. "Ah, there's the Mission I know!"

"Just don't tell her I said that," Mission said. "I asked her if she's ever used the Force to do anything less than honorable and she annoyed me with her conceited response so I egged her on a bit and I swear that she used the Force to trip me! She claimed that I must have stumbled but I never just fall flat on my face for no reason."

"You can't be serious!" Brinna said, looking at Mission in amazement.

"I am! Big Z was there and saw the whole thing!"

"I think Mission's right," Zaalbar told her.

"She may have a stick you-know-where but I don't think she's as perfect as she likes to think she is," Mission told Brinna.

"Maybe we just need to give her a chance," Brinna said, reluctantly. Secretly, she felt pretty much as Mission did but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was maybe being a bit unfair to Bastila.

Mission looked at Brinna as if she'd suddenly sprouted a second head. "Um, hello, have you met Bastila yet?" she asked.

"I think you're a bad influence on me," Brinna said, with a laugh.

"I'm a bad influence on you? That's kinda sad, don't ya think? You're what, about forty and I'm only fourteen?" Mission asked, mischievously.

"Forty!" Brinna cried, indignantly. "If I had Force powers, I'd Force Trip you myself! I can't believe you even said that! I'm only twenty-eight, thank you very much!"

"Oh, sure, you laughed at Carth when I gave him a hard time."

"It's only funny when you tease Carth about his age, not me!" Brinna told her, in mock-outrage.

"What are you saying about me?" Carth asked, emerging from the direction of the cockpit.

"She said it's only funny when I tease you about your age," Mission said helpfully.

"Thanks for the support," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Brinna

"I can't help it if that's the truth," Brinna told him, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Besides, she said I'm forty!"

"What does that make me, ninety?" Carth asked Mission.

"Something like that."

"Ah, the ignorance of youth," he said, his mouth quirking at the corners.

Brinna studied him incredulously. Was this the same man who'd been so tense and angry the previous night? He looked over at her and must have read something in her expression because his gaze became rather apologetic.

"Geezers," Mission replied, with a grin.

"I don't blame Brinna for being mad anyway," Carth told her. "She hardly looks forty, Mission."

"How can I tell? She is twice as old as me!"

"If she's forty, she's the youngest, most beautiful forty-year-old I've ever seen. Hell, she's one of the most beautiful twenty-eight-year-olds I've ever seen," Carth said, smiling. A second later, he seemed to realize just what he had said because his face went red and he quickly left the room with a mumbled excuse.

"Well then," Mission said, turning to Brinna with raised eyebrows.

Brinna was too busy gaping in the direction of Carth's retreating back to respond immediately. She felt a blush creeping over her own cheeks and her heartbeat quickened. Mission made a kissing noise, causing Zaalbar to roar with laughter and Brinna flushed an even deeper shade of red.

"He didn't… What he meant was…" Brinna stuttered.

"Yes?" Mission asked, propping her chin on her fist and staring up at Brinna.

But Brinna couldn't think of how to finish what she'd started to say. She could hardly think straight as it was, she was still so shocked about what Carth had just said—shocked but very gratified, truth be told.

"I better go see what Canderous is up to," Brinna finally said, leaping up from her seat and running from the room like a blaster bolt. The sound of Mission's and Zaalbar's laughter echoed in the corridor.

She found Canderous in the equipment bay, using the tool bench to work on his vibroblade. He looked up as she entered and grinned at her roguishly.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

"Uh… I have no idea," she said, with a far too exaggerated shrug of her shoulders. "I didn't hear whatever it was they said."

"Right," Canderous said, looking at her with a doubtful expression.

She flushed again and changed the subject. "I didn't know there was one of these onboard. It'll certainly be handy."

"I'm finished here, if you want to use it," he told her.

"Thanks, I think I will," she said. She retrieved her blade and a couple of upgrade parts she'd found on Taris and carried them over to the bench. Canderous stood nearby, watching her as she worked.

"You're pretty skilled for a scout," he told her.

"Are you saying you thought I wouldn't know how to handle a weapon?" she challenged, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, grinning once more. "I've seen you in action. You're very impressive."

Brinna was pleased by the compliment. In spite of the fact that Canderous was a Mandalorian who had worked as a bounty hunter for a depraved crime lord, she found that she liked him. He wasn't exactly her definition of goodness but he was tough and affable; even more so than Carth was when he was in one of his peevish moods.

"You're no slouch yourself," she told him.

He nodded in acknowledgement of her compliment and leaned a hip against the workbench. "Where's the Jedi princess?" he asked.

"Gone to speak with the Council. She should be back anytime now," Brinna said, distractedly as she added an energy projector to her blade. She maneuvered it into place with a satisfied smile, holding the blade out to Canderous. "There."

"Fine work," he said, inspecting it carefully before handing it back over to her.

She set it aside and leaned against the other side of the bench, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Canderous. "You know, I couldn't help but notice that you never really got wounded while we were fighting," she said.

"My cybernetic implant," he told her. "All Mandalorian warriors have one. It gives me regenerative powers so that my wounds heal quickly."

"Ah," Brinna said.

"Not that I have much need of it," he said, smiling slightly.

"Of course not," Brinna responded, smiling back at him.

Carth walked into the room and looked at Canderous with a hint of dislike. His eyes then flickered over to Brinna, but he didn't hold the gaze for long and she found herself studying her boots as well. It was ridiculous that they were acting like a couple of shy teenagers but Brinna had no idea how she should act in the aftermath of his comment.

"Bastila's back and she's looking for you. She's waiting outside the ship," Carth told her.

"You'd better answer the royal summons," Canderous said, with a snort.

"I'm on my way," Brinna said, pushing off from the bench and heading toward the loading bay. As she passed the two men, she noticed that Carth shot the Mandalorian a dirty look before he followed her.

"You don't like him much, do you?" Brinna found herself asking Carth.

"And you do?" he asked, staring at her in disbelief, all awkwardness between them apparently forgotten.

Brinna shrugged. "I don't like what he's done in the past but I'm not going to allow that to influence my judgment. I'll reserve my judgment until I've had a chance to see his actions first-hand."

"That's generous," Carth muttered.

"Is it?" she asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Not everyone is pleasant on first acquaintance. Sometimes you have to look past that and get to really know someone before you can get a feel for what type of person they truly are."

The significance of her words was not lost on him and he flushed slightly. Before he had a chance to say anything more, though, they were through the bay and walking to Bastila, who was waiting impatiently.

"The Council wishes to speak with you," she announced.

"Me?" Brinna asked, staring at Bastila in disbelief. Of all the things she had expected to hear, this one had not appeared anywhere on her list.

"Yes," Bastila said.

"Isn't that a little unusual? What do they want?" Carth asked.

"That is for the Council to discuss with Brinna. You can come if you like but you'll have to wait outside the Council chamber for us," Bastila said briskly.

Brinna saw Carth bristle and she really couldn't blame him. After all, who was she in comparison to him? Though she was certain it was his paranoia and not his ego that had caused his reaction, she couldn't understand why they'd want to talk with a no-name scout like herself as opposed to an important war hero like him.

Though he was clearly not pleased, Carth followed Bastila. Brinna's mind was working overtime and she found herself lagging behind the two of them. As she walked through the enclave's inner courtyard, she was suddenly stopped by a young Jedi who berated her for not wearing her Jedi robes.

_What the…_Brinna wondered, as she stared blankly at the girl.

"Um, I think you're mistaking me for someone else," Brinna said, as politely as she could. "I'm not a Jedi."

The girl apologized and said that her Jedi Master often told her that she was too hasty and that she needed to exercise better control over her emotions. Brinna couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was a whole legion of arrogant Jedi. So far she'd met two and both of them were among the most pompous people she'd ever met.

Nodding her acceptance of the apology, Brinna continued in the direction she had seen Bastila and Carth taking. Though they were out of her sight, Brinna found that she could not rouse herself to hurry after them. She couldn't get over her encounter in the courtyard. The girl was the third person to have mistakenly thought that Brinna had some sort of command of the Force and she found that the coincidences were beginning to make her a little uneasy.

She found Carth waiting outside the Council chamber door. He studied her quizzically as she passed but she just shook her head and continued on into the chamber. Four Masters dressed in differently-colored robes stood studying her gravely as she entered the room. Bastila watched soberly, nodding her head encouragingly at Brinna as she hesitated to enter the room. Brinna sensed tension in the air and though she did not know its source, she could not shake the feeling that it had something to do with her.

The Masters introduced themselves to her and told her that Bastila had observed that she had some aptitude with the Force. One of them mentioned that they were considering her for Jedi training and Brinna couldn't have been more surprised if they'd all drawn their lightsabers and attacked her. She looked at the Master wide-eyed and heard the one named Vrook protest this announcement.

Brinna turned to look at Vrook, who began to talk to his colleagues about Malak and Revan. It seemed there was some sort of dissension among them for they debated for a moment about whether or not Brinna should be trained. Vandar, the diminutive Master, said something about Revan's death and the necessity of stopping Malak.

"Can we be certain that Revan is truly dead?" Vrook asked, directing a penetrating stare at Vandar.

Confused, Brinna glanced from one Master to another and then looked at Bastila. Tension was evident on the young Jedi's face and Brinna could have sworn that Bastila was avoiding her gaze, although to all appearances she was merely looking respectfully at the Masters.

It was finally decided that the Council needed to further discuss things in private and they instructed Brinna to return to the ship, telling her that they would send for her when they next wanted to speak with her. Brinna was anxious to ask Bastila what was going on but the Jedi left as soon as they stepped out of the Council chamber, saying that she had some business to which she needed to attend.

"What did they want?" Carth asked her, as she stared at Bastila's retreating form.

"I don't really know," she said, turning to Carth with a confused expression. "They said something about considering me for Jedi training but not all of them seemed to think it was a good idea. They sent me away so that they could discuss it in private and told me that they'd send for me when they want to see me again."

"They said they're considering you for training?" Carth asked incredulously.

"Yeah," she said, her own voice filled with disbelief.

Neither of them said anything further as they returned to the ship. Carth disappeared into the cockpit immediately and Brinna went directly to the bunkroom, hoping it would be empty. To her relief it was and she sunk down onto her bunk, toying with her blanket as she thought about what had just happened.

Inexplicably, her mind turned to the previous day and Bastila's telling her to get up into the gun turrets to hold off the Sith fighters. Brinna had found herself wondering how she had known how to operate them when she'd never done so before, but now she found herself wondering with an even greater sense of amazement how Bastila had known that she could operate them.

_Just what is going on here?_ she wondered. A sense of unreality was beginning to set in and she found herself staring at the floor unseeingly.

She'd wanted to be alone but now she decided that she'd better go find someone to talk to before her own thoughts drove her crazy. As she walked through the ship, she could hear Mission, Zaalbar, and T-3 in the cargo bay. Canderous was nowhere to be seen. Without really thinking, Brinna headed for the cockpit.

"Hi," she said quietly to Carth, who was sitting in the pilot seat with his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands.

"Hi," he said, his voice muffled. He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face before straightening up and looking at her.

"Is Bastila back yet?" she asked.

"No," he said, turning to stare blankly at the ship's controls.

There was a heavy silence in the room and then Brinna sighed and said, "I won't talk about the subject you don't want to talk about if you won't talk about the one I don't want to talk about."

"Deal," Carth said, turning to her and flashing a smile.

Brinna felt herself relax and she stepped around the co-pilot's chair and sat down. Night had fallen outside and the cockpit was dim. Carth's face was partially shadowed and Brinna couldn't decide if she thought this was a good thing or a bad thing. It seemed she spent entirely too much time admiring that face.

"So, are you going to sing me another song or what?" Carth asked her.

His voice startled her but his light words made her relax even further. She sank back into the seat, kicking her boots off and curling her legs up under her.

"I don't know," she said, with a smirk. "I'm not sure you deserve to bear witness to my prodigious singing talent."

"I've already seen what a great dancer you are," he teased. "You should really take your act out on the road. I think you'd be a big hit."

She shot him a dirty look. "Damn you. I can't believe you just brought that up again. I thought you said you'd never speak of it again."

"Nice try," he told her. "I never said anything like that and you know it."

"Yeah but I was hoping you were dumb enough to believe me."

"Not a chance, sister."

Brinna smiled and leaned her head back against her seat, closing her eyes. "Fine," she sighed. "Since you've been so nice to me, I guess I could reward your good behavior with a song."

"I knew it would pay off," he said, in a satisfied tone.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, shaking her head. "You obviously don't know sarcasm when you hear it."

"Or maybe I just choose to ignore it."

"Maybe I'll just choose to ignore you," she shot back at him.

"Then why did you come in here?" he asked, playing his trump card.

"I got lost?"

"You disappoint me. Surely you can do better than that."

"I was hoping you might sing for me?" Brinna asked, trying hard to contain her smile.

Carth laughed. "Just as soon as you do that audition dance for me again."

"Then we seem to be at an impasse," she said, leveling a gaze at him. She gave in to the temptation and allowed the smile to spread over her face.

"Are we? I was actually hoping you might consider letting me hear you sing again," he said seriously.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," he told her.

She was unreasonably flattered by the request, by his taking an interest in her. Between this and his inadvertent comment from earlier in the day, she couldn't help but be absurdly pleased. She told herself that she should really be on her guard but the past two days had been so awful that she simply didn't have the strength.

"Okay, I'll do it. But you have to promise to never again broach the subject of the audition," she said.

"Deal," he said.


	8. Training Begins

Two figures approached the crumbling ruins, a large, ominous-looking black door before them. One of the figures was clad in black from head to toe: a long, loose robe swishing over the toes of a pair of black boots, a black hood pulled over the head, a black mask concealing the face and making it impossible to determine whether the figure was male or female. The other figure was a man dressed in black and red, with a shaved and tattooed scalp. The man in red walked slightly behind the figure in black and looked rather nervous, in contrast to the steady, confident strides of the black figure. Even though the man in red was considerably taller than the figure in black, it was obvious that the figure in black was the one in control.

Indeed, as the figure in black raised a hand and waved it almost languidly in front of the door, the man in red expressed nervous misgivings, voicing the opinion that whatever they were about to do would surely get them ejected from the Jedi Order. Once they started down this path, they would not be able to go back, he told the figure in black. Is the power we seek really worth the risk?

But the figure in black remained undaunted. The strides were ever purposeful and there was no hesitation or any reply to the nervous chatter of the man in red. Great power must have resided in this figure in black for the man in red continued to follow it in spite of the misapprehensions he expressed. The two made their way through the dank, dusty room and passed into another where a large three-pronged metal structure on the floor opened, unfolding like a flower in bloom. A black orb rose from its center, rotating swiftly before it began to emit small beams of light. The light grew until a large orb of blue and white lights surrounded the black orb. Their path had been chosen. It had begun…

Brinna sat up in bed with a loud gasp, pressing a hand to her forehead. For a moment, she was so disoriented that she had no idea where she was and, in a panic, she swung her head from side to side. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she could hear the throbbing in her ears, so loudly that it took Mission a full two minutes to attract her attention.

"Brinna! Brinna!" Mission was saying.

"Huh?" Brinna asked, the fog of her dream still clouding her mind. It had been so vivid, so real. She could have sworn she had smelled the musty odor of the old temple…

"Are you all right?" Mission asked, staring at her in concern.

"I-I'm fine," Brinna said, taking a shaky breath and pushing her hair out of her face with an unsteady hand. "I had…a nightmare."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mission asked, her eyes wide.

"I'm fine," Brinna insisted. She swung her legs off her bunk and stood on trembling legs. "Where's Bastila?"

Mission's look of concern deepened. "I'm not sure. She woke up and ran off the ship before I could say anything to her. Her face was as white as her sheets."

"It was?" Brinna asked, stopping and looking fully at Mission.

"Yeah. What's going on?"

"I…nothing. Nothing. I just need to talk to Bastila."

Brinna turned away from the Twi'lek, grabbing her Echani fiber armor and pulling it on as quickly as she could. She jammed her feet into her boots and impatiently pulled her hair back as best she could with her shaking hands. When she was finished, she left the bunkroom and a wide-eyed Mission, striding directly to the loading bay.

As soon as she stepped off the ship, she saw Carth standing next to the ramp, as if he was getting ready to get back on the ship. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her, studying her with a concerned expression that was almost identical to the look Mission had given her just a moment ago.

"Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said to her.

"I'm fine. Where's Bastila?"

"She went to see the Council. She went tearing off the ship with almost the same expression on her face that you have on yours. She told me to tell you to meet her in the Council chambers."

"Thanks," Brinna said, immediately setting off for the Council chambers.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Carth asked, jogging to catch up with her.

"Not right now, Carth," Brinna said tightly.

"But…" he began.

"I said not right now," she responded sharply.

Her voice halted him for a moment but she did not stop. He soon caught up with her again, though, trying to catch her eye but she refused to meet his gaze. She had to talk to Bastila. She didn't want to talk to anyone else until she'd talked to Bastila.

They reached the Council chambers and Carth paused outside of the door. He gave Brinna one last pleading look but she responded with a tense shake of her head and continued past him into the room. Bastila was there, along with the four Jedi Masters who had spoken with Brinna the previous day. Carth was right; Bastila did look as if she'd seen a ghost.

The Council informed her that Bastila had come to them to tell them of a dream that she had, a dream that she appeared to have shared with Brinna. As they told Brinna of Bastila's explanation, she felt a chill come over her body. They had shared the same dream, down to the last detail. For some reason, she and Bastila had shared the same dream about Revan and Malak.

Suddenly, Brinna knew that she had not been mistaken about the strange connection she shared with Bastila. It had not been obvious to the Vulkars that Bastila was a Jedi as it had been to Brinna because she was the only one in tune with Bastila's thoughts. She truly had been sensing Bastila's thoughts and emotions. It hadn't been the fantasy that she'd tried to convince herself it was.

The Council members told her that it appeared that there was a bond between her and Bastila. At these words, Bastila's lips compressed into a tight line and her face appeared to pale even more. Brinna wanted to ask the Council a thousand questions. Why did she have this bond with Bastila, someone she hadn't even known prior to her assignment on the Endar Spire? Why had Bastila's party specifically requested her presence on the Endar Spire? What in the name of all that was good was going on?

Her surprise only grew when the Masters announced that they knew of the ruins that Revan and Malak had been searching in the dream. They were on Dantooine, not too far from the enclave and the Council had decided that she and Bastila needed to search those ruins, to try to understand what it was Revan and Malak had sought within them. They felt that if she and Bastila could uncover this information, they would be able to learn more about what had caused Revan and Malak's fall. The Sith were hunting the Jedi down, thinning their numbers almost to the point of extinction and if they were to save the Order, they would have to learn what was powering the Sith war effort.

Brinna felt herself nodding mechanically at their words. She was still too stunned by the dream, by its vividness, by the fact that Bastila had shared the same dream to really process what the Masters were saying to her. They probably could have told her to offer herself up as a sacrifice to the kath hounds and she would have nodded in agreement. But, finally, they said something that penetrated the confused thoughts racing through her head: they had decided that she was to be trained as a Jedi and Master Zhar was to see to her training.

The world around her took on a strange brightness and an overwhelming feeling of surrealness washed over Brinna. She was to become a Jedi? Bastila had been correct about her Force abilities? The Sith governor on Taris had sensed her aptitude with the Force as well? The young Jedi in the courtyard had made an understandable error in assuming Brinna was a Jedi because she had sensed the power of the Force within Brinna?

As if they sensed her confusion—which they probably did, come to that—the Masters stopped talking and allowed a short silence to fall over the room. Slowly, very slowly, Brinna felt her thoughts begin to focus, her clarity of mind returning. She was a Force Adept, after all. Though she had spent the last twenty-eight years of her life in blissful oblivion of the power that resided within her, fate had linked her with Bastila and she was now to be trained in the use of that power. The thought was strangely exhilarating but frightening at the same time.

"When is my training to begin?" she heard herself asking Master Zhar.

"Immediately," he told her.

She nodded once again, but this time she knew exactly what it was to which she was agreeing. "I accept the will of the Council in this and promise that I will strive to do my best," she said, solemnly.

The Masters acknowledged her words with solemn nods and Brinna turned to look at Bastila. She could sense the torrent of emotions within the other woman. Bastila stared openly at Brinna and there was a look on Bastila's face that reminded Brinna of fear… But that could not be possible. Why would the words of the Council have frightened Bastila? Brinna blinked and when she looked at Bastila again, all she saw in the Jedi's gaze was an appraising look.

"Normally the training would take years but we do not have the luxury of time in this case," Zhar told her. "Your training will have to be accelerated and though Jedi training is always intensive, yours will be particularly grueling. The task we have set before you is not an easy one but we feel confident that you will succeed."

"But do not allow yourself a sense of false pride," Master Vrook warned her. "You must always be on your guard against the dark side. Jedi far superior to you have succumbed to its lure."

Brinna nodded gravely. She felt the dislike, the disapproval of her that was rolling off Vrook and it surprised her. What had she done to provoke him? She had spoken no more than a few words to him and yet it seemed she had somehow deeply offended him.

"The dark side will always seek to tempt you," Master Vandar said. His tone much more gentle than that of Vrook but there was no mistaking the seriousness behind his words. "It is not easily resisted but you must steal yourself against it. You must not allow it to overcome you or all may be lost."

"Padawan Bastila will be here to aide you," Zhar told her. "The bond between you is strong. You may rely on her in times of trouble or uncertainty."

"You have a great deal to learn and I will help you however I may," Bastila said.

"Come with me. I will tell you more of how your training is to be structured and then we will begin," Zhar said. "Padawan Bastila will join us later."

Brinna cast one last glance at Bastila and the other three Masters before she followed Zhar out of the room. He led her through the enclave to the training area and several Jedi stopped and watched as they passed. Brinna self-consciously kept her eyes fixed resolutely ahead, not really certain she wanted to know why the other Jedi were staring at her as they were.

Zhar explained to her that she was to train every day of the week and that her training would last ten hours each day. She would meditate for the first hour every morning, allowing her mind to become attuned to the Force. This would be followed by two hours of training in identifying and learning to utilize her Force abilities. An hour and a half of study of Jedi texts was to follow, and then she would have an hour break for a midday meal. At the end of that hour, she would study the history of the Order for another hour and a half. Each day would conclude with three hours of combat training, where she would learn the skills and techniques that would enable her to wield a lightsaber. Bastila was to be her partner in these combat exercises.

Due to the time she had spent in the Council chambers, two hours of the day had already been lost and Zhar told her that they would skip the training of her Force abilities for the day, but she would begin her meditation. He had her sit on the floor with her eyes closed as he talked her through the art of meditation.

She had been worried that the training would prove too difficult for her, that she would fail at it. She was afraid that she would not be able to tap into the Force, despite everyone who insisted that the Force was strong with her. It was only moments before she learned that she need not have worried. Before Zhar even finished speaking, she had already achieved a meditative state and had already started to feel the power of the Force that resided within her.

Her mind slipped into a blank state. There were no thoughts; there was just the feeling of a presence, a living, breathing presence that was both within and all around her. As she breathed, the presence breathed. It was the most powerful sensation she had ever known and though it was a light, comforting presence, she could sense the blackness at its edges, the darkness that was already attempting to tug at her mind. Her breathing was so deep that it would have appeared to the untrained eye that she was asleep but she was very much awake. She had reached a state of consciousness much greater than any she had ever known.

The hour seemed to last no more than a minute and when she opened her eyes, Zhar was standing before her with a pleased but guarded expression on his face. "You have done well, Apprentice Brinna. The Force is indeed very strong with you."

"Yes, Master Zhar. I…I felt its power," she told him. "And I felt the power of the blackness at its edges."

"That power is present for all Jedi," he told her soberly. "Followers of the light are ever aware of it. Even those who follow the most righteous of paths cannot help but feel its dark pull. To be a Jedi is to struggle constantly with the will of that power, to devote mind and body to rejecting its demands."

"I begin to understand," Brinna said.

"Yes, I believe you do," he said, thoughtfully.

He led her from the meditation room to a library and gave her several datapads to study. She tried her best to concentrate but she could not prevent her mind from wandering a bit. Suddenly, she felt she understood Bastila much better than she had. The Padawan was not, in fact, perfect and Brinna now understood that it was Bastila's own battles with her emotions that caused her to be as cold and aloof as she sometimes seemed. This was not an excuse for Bastila's actions; rather, it was an explanation.

The next several hours passed by swiftly and then it was time for combat training. Bastila was using a vibroblade rather than her lightsaber as Brinna would not receive her own lightsaber until her apprentice training was complete and she had been given the title of Padawan. For now, their sparring would be restricted to vibroblades.

Brinna had seen Bastila in action and she knew that the Jedi was skilled but it was not until she began sparring with Bastila that she understood just how great that skill was. She had always been too busy battling to really have a chance to stop and study Bastila's technique and though Brinna was a rather good fighter who could hold her own against most any opponent, her skills paled in comparison to Bastila's.

The Jedi was swift, so swift that at times she landed blows on Brinna that Brinna had not even seen coming. Bastila seemed almost one with her weapon and her moves were intuitive, her concentration complete. She was able to parry, strike, and deflect blows using techniques Brinna had never seen and would never have imagined.

"The power of the Force helps guide my hand," Bastila told Brinna as they walked back to the Ebon Hawk.

Brinna was utterly exhausted and every muscle in her body ached but Bastila looked as if she'd done nothing that required more exertion than a leisurely stroll through the enclave.

"I never appreciated your skill before today," Brinna told Bastila, honestly.

"I know," Bastila said, with a curt nod of her head.

In spite of her new understanding of the Jedi, Brinna could not help but feel annoyed by this response. She was trying her best to get along with Bastila, to let the Jedi know how much she respected her yet Bastila continued to reject her, continued to hold herself aloof from Brinna.

Brinna sighed tiredly and fell silent. She didn't have the strength to be really angry with Bastila, nor did she have the will for it at the moment. She had been through a lot this particular day and the last thing she needed to do was pick a fight with Bastila.

"Does everyone know?" Brinna asked as they approached the ship's loading ramp.

Bastila nodded. "While you were studying, I explained the Council's decision to train you to them."

"Do they know why I'm being trained?"

"I told them that the Council has a mission for you but I did not go into detail about it. Really, there isn't much detail to be shared at this point."

"That's true," Brinna agreed. She hesitated a moment before asking her next question. "What was their reaction?"

Bastila turned and directly met Brinna's gaze. Once again, Brinna had the uncomfortable sensation of something tickling at the corners of her mind and she knew for sure this time that it was, indeed, Bastila attempting to probe her thoughts.

Brinna felt a flash of annoyance. She did not want Bastila in her head, bond or no bond. For one, it was a gross invasion of her privacy and she would not tolerate it. The Council could train her, could send her to examine the ruins, but they could not command her to let them be privy to every one of her thoughts. For another, Brinna knew that there were thoughts in her head of which Bastila would not approve.

In particular, she knew Bastila would not approve of her desire to break down Carth's walls. While Brinna cared about what Mission, Zaalbar, and even Canderous thought, when she had asked about the others' reactions to the news of her training, she had really wanted to know what Carth's reaction was.

Of course, when Bastila had given her a rather generic response to that question, it had not been possible for Brinna to ask her for specifics on Carth's reaction. She would be giving too much away if she did that. As it was, she couldn't be sure exactly how much Bastila already knew and that thought made her distinctly uncomfortable.

She was even more uncomfortable when she returned to the ship. After a much too short session in the ship's washing facilities, she had gone out into the common area where everyone was eating dinner. The room was unnaturally quiet and everyone kept casting strange glances at her. She felt like some sort of oddity on display and she gulped her food down as quickly as she could and hurried to her bunk to escape their furtive glances.

Brinna sighed deeply and rubbed her aching forehead before stepping out of her armor and her clothes and pulling on the loose pale blue pants and fitted sleeveless shirt that she wore when she slept. She had tied her hair back before going to eat and she let it loose now, sighing as it brushed over her shoulders. Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she thought of what Carth had said about her looking different with her hair down and she blushed. She pushed the thought aside and climbed into her bunk, certain she would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, so great was her exhaustion.

It was not to be, though. In spite of the weariness of her body, her mind was very much awake and it would not allow her any rest. Bastila and Mission entered the room a few hours later and Brinna feigned sleep as they changed and climbed into their own bunks. A short while later, the sound of their deep breathing told her that they were both asleep and she sat up, swinging her legs over the side of her bunk.

She thought that some time spent gazing at the stars might soothe her, just as it always had her whole life, just as her father had taught her it would. Her feet padded softly against the cool metal of the ship's floor. She heard no other sound as she trod the corridors on her way to the one room that had a view of the outside: the cockpit.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw the dark head leaning back against the pilot's seat and her heart did a funny little leap. Her powers of self-deception failed and she admitted to herself that he was the real reason she had gone into the cockpit. She couldn't have cared less about the stars.

He must have heard the soft sound of her footfalls because he turned around in his seat and looked at her. She crossed her arms over her chest a little uncomfortably but when she saw his smile, she relaxed and entered the room, sinking gratefully into the co-pilot's seat.

"I thought you were long asleep by now," he said, his voice soft.

She wondered if he had any idea what effect the sound of it had on her and then scorned herself for her foolishness. How could he know? She had never told him, nor would she. From the moment she had first heard that voice, in a dumpy apartment on Taris, she had thought it was the sexiest sound ever to fill her ears.

"I wish I could sleep," she said, rather wistfully.

"Why can't you?"

"Probably for the same reason you can't. My mind won't stop working overtime."

"Yeah, I know what that's like," was the softly-spoken response.

Brinna pulled her feet up onto the seat, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them. She heard a slight noise coming from Carth's side of the room and she turned her head to see that he was shaking his.

"How do you sit like that? It doesn't look at all comfortable to me," he said to her.

"Maybe you ought to try it sometime," she told him, with a smile.

"Somehow, I don't think that would work for me," he said, smiling back.

"Neither do I," she said.

There was a short silence and then he asked her the question she had been anticipating. "How was your training?"

She winced. "Every muscle in my body aches and my brain feels like it's going to burst from all the information I tried to cram into it. Does that answer your question?"

"I'd say so," he said, casually.

She knew that tone of voice. It was the one he always used with her when his suspicions began creeping up on him. "I know what you're thinking," she said, flatly. She put her feet back on the floor so that she could turn in her chair to face him.

"Jedi mind-reader, are you?" he asked, lightly but she could see the tension in his face.

"First of all, I am not a Jedi yet. Secondly, I didn't ask for this."

"When did I say you did?"

"You don't need to say it, Carth. You know that. You're not one for hiding your suspicions."

"So are you telling me that none of this strikes you as the slightest bit strange?" he asked, dropping all pretense of casualness and facing her with a confrontational look.

"No, I'm not," she said, flatly. She couldn't help but feel a glimmer of satisfaction at the startled look on his face. "It's all very weird, especially because it's happening to me." She placed extra emphasis on the last word.

Her statement had the effect she had hoped for; Carth turned his eyes away from hers and blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair. "You're right," he said.

"Look, Carth, I'm going to tell you flat out that I want to be your friend. Now, I know how you feel about friends and I can't say that I really blame you, considering your past experience. But I think you should consider my offer of friendship because you can't do this on your own, in spite of what you may think."

"I've been getting by just fine on my own," he said, his voice tight.

"Oh really?" Brinna exploded, her temper getting the best of her. "You call this getting by just fine? Come on, Carth, you're not fooling anyone, least of all yourself. You're a wreck and you know it! What kind of life are you leading when all you care about is exacting revenge?"

"It's none of your business," he told her, his eyes blazing.


	9. Budding Friendship

Meditation was going to be her favorite part of each day's training, Brinna decided the next morning. Though the shadows of the dark side would always be present, Brinna felt centered when she was meditating. All of the confusion, all of her misgivings, were temporarily put aside as she allowed her mind and body to attune to the power of the Force within her.

When the hour was over, Master Zhar led her through the process of attuning herself to certain aspects of the Force, in order to learn which abilities she currently possessed and those that she had begun to attain but would need to concentrate on mastering. It was almost an intuitive process for Brinna and by the time the two hours had ended, she had already progressed to the point of calling small objects to her through her command of the Force.

Her progress was much swifter than she had expected. When Zhar had told her that her training would have to be accelerated, she had misgivings but it now looked to her like she would be able to keep pace with it. She had no doubt that she would be both physically and mentally exhausted by the end of every day but these would be small sacrifices to pay for all that she would learn.

The history texts and testimonials of the Jedi caught her interest and held it. She devoured the information that was given to her, absorbing it and recalling it in such detail that it was almost as if she'd studied it over and over for many years instead of for a few hours. It seemed astounding to her, but then she had always had a rather photographic memory.

Brinna's combat training session was also much more fruitful than it had been the previous day. She learned to let go of the thoughts that held her back from her potential, learned to begin to trust in the instincts that told her when to strike and when to dodge. In so doing, she began to anticipate Bastila's moves and to respond to them in a manner that was more advantageous to her. As she whirled and avoided a particularly swift strike, Brinna saw Bastila's eyes widen in surprise and it was difficult for Brinna to suppress her smile.

It was this difficulty that was really at the center of her greatest difficulty with the training. Zhar had begun to instruct her on the Jedi Code and one line in particular stood out in her mind: "There is no emotion, there is peace."

_No emotion,_ Brinna repeated to herself. _No emotion. How is that possible?_

She wasn't sure if she could swallow this pearl of Jedi wisdom, but she kept that thought to herself. Her emotions weren't exactly out of control—or at least she didn't think so—but she couldn't deny that they were there. As a scout, it had been imperative to operate on logic rather than emotion on many occasions but she had a heart and she had never been particularly afraid to use it or to rely on it when necessary.

_No emotion,_ she thought. Without emotion, how could she really watch over Mission? The Twi'lek needed someone to care for her. How could someone care for her without emotion? Brinna already felt that it was too late for her to pull back when it came to Mission. She had already started to look at Mission as a sort of little sister. If she now treated Mission with the lack of emotion that the Jedi seemed to demand of her, she was certain that it would devastate the Twi'lek and Brinna as well. Mission had lost far too much to lose that connection to Brinna without its having a serious and detrimental effect on her.

_And Carth…_ Perhaps that was one situation where a lack of emotion would serve her well. She could not deny the pain she felt at the thought of their conversation from the previous night. She hadn't meant to make the admission to him that she had but in the heat of the moment, she had opened herself up to him and she was beginning to regret it. She didn't owe him anything, so why did she keep trying? Why was she putting herself in a position that allowed him to hurt her? She had never done that before and she had no idea why she was doing it now.

"You did well today," Bastila told her as they returned to the Ebon Hawk at the end of the day. "But do not let that allow you to become lax in your studies."

"I won't," Brinna said shortly. She was really not in the mood for another of Bastila's lectures.

"It is easy to say that but you must be sincere."

"I am."

Bastila frowned at her and looked down her nose. "Have you not paid attention to what Master Zhar has said?"

"I have paid attention, Bastila. If I hadn't how do you think I would have bested you today during combat training?" Brinna asked, her patience wearing out.

"You need to learn to control your pride," Bastila responded coldly.

"Me?" Brinna asked. For the second time in as many days Brinna lost control of her temper. "You're a fine one to talk, Bastila! You need to learn to practice what you preach!"

Bastila's face turned red and anger flashed in her eyes but she did not respond. Instead, she took a few deep breaths and Brinna could sense Bastila reciting the Code in her head.

_There is no emotion, there is peace…_

_Stop picking fights with everyone,_ she told herself.

"Bastila, I'm sorry," she said, with a sigh. "I do need to learn better command of my emotions. It's just that everything has been happening so fast over the last couple of weeks that I don't know which end is up sometimes."

"You must deal with that. None of us is certain what is to come in the next few weeks," Bastila said. Her voice was calm but Brinna could detect a faint edge of anger to it.

"You're right, of course," Brinna told her.

"It's best if we leave this discussion for another time. You are weary and need to rest."

Brinna nodded, although she felt that Bastila was simply avoiding her once again. Still, she didn't really mind the avoidance. She didn't feel like dealing with the situation between her and Bastila at the present time either.

The two women headed in separate directions once they boarded the ship and Brinna breathed a sigh of relief. There was always a tangible tension in the air when she and Bastila were around one another and it was beginning to wear on Brinna. She wished she knew what had caused it but she would no sooner ask Bastila about it than she would ask Bastila for advice about her problems with Carth. They did not know one another well enough for Brinna to feel comfortable with such a personal conversation with Bastila and it was beginning to look like she never would.

Brinna stood for a long time under the warm water, letting it fall on her aching head and shoulders. She wished she could stand there for the rest of the night but she finally sighed and stepped out, toweling herself off briskly and hastily pulling her clothes on before heading to the bunkroom. Mission was inside, sitting cross-legged on her bunk and rearranging her Pazaak deck. She looked up and smiled tentatively at Brinna.

"Am I diseased?" Brinna asked, putting a hand on one hip and cocking her head as she regarded Mission.

"What?" Mission asked, blinking.

"Am I diseased?" Brinna repeated.

"Not as far as I know," Mission said, looking hopelessly confused.

"Then why is everyone treating me like I am?"

Mission's expression softened and she shook her head. "Yeah, you're right. We are kinda treating you like that."

"Yes, you are. Why?"

"I don't really know for sure," Mission said thoughtfully. She pushed her deck aside and gave Brinna her full attention. "I guess no one really knows what to say to you anymore."

"That still doesn't explain anything to me," Brinna said with a tired sigh. She dropped down onto the edge of Mission's bunk.

"Well, you're becoming a Jedi. I think everyone's sort of in awe of you or something."

"In awe of me?" Brinna asked, surprised. She hadn't been expecting that response.

"Yeah. I mean, the Jedi are all so mysterious and…different, I guess. They're not like other people in the galaxy. They walk around in their robes with their lightsabers stashed in their belts and no one really knows what to make of them. I mean, sure, they do a lot of good things but then they keep to themselves so much. Plus they act all serene all the time. To be honest, I think it makes people a little suspicious. I mean, who can go around being serene all the time?"

"I don't know," Brinna said, smiling wearily. "I see what you're saying but I can't imagine myself like that."

"Why not? They're making you a part of the Order now. Isn't that what they'll expect of you?"

"I have no idea what they'll expect of me. They're not exactly being clear about that."

"Hey, I know this is hard for you but, still, can't you see it from our perspective? No one really understands the ways of the Jedi except for the Jedi themselves and they're not exactly sharing that information with the rest of the galaxy."

"They're not exactly sharing it with me either at the moment."

"You're scared," Mission said, placing a hand on Brinna's shoulder in a consoling manner.

"What?" Brinna asked, taken aback.

"You're scared. I can see it in your face. How could you not be? You thought you knew all about yourself, thought you had your life in order and now the Jedi are telling you you've got all these special abilities you never knew you had and they want to make you a part of their Order. I think that would be enough to scare anyone."

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it like that," Brinna admitted.

"Is this what you really want?"

"Yes…no…I don't know. Like you said, I thought I knew all about myself. I have a ship back at home. I've been a scout for ten years. I was happy with that life. If someone had told me I was destined to become a Jedi, I would have laughed in their face and said I wouldn't want to even if I could. But now that I'm here, now that they've started training me I can't help but think that maybe this is a good thing, that maybe this is what I was meant to do."

"Just make sure it is what you really want."

Brinna shook her head and smiled with some admiration at Mission. "You are way too mature for your age."

Mission smiled wickedly. "Way too mature? Me? You have to be kidding. I'll be sure to commit that one to memory so the next time I tease you about your age and you accuse me of being immature I can throw it back in your face."

"I'm becoming a Jedi, remember? I'm now above all your teasing. I'm far too serene for it to bother me."

Mission snorted derisively. "Right, you're the picture of serenity. You ooze it from every pore of your body."

Brinna made a face. "I don't think I want to ooze anything from every pore of my body."

"That would be pretty gross," Mission agreed.

With a laugh, Brinna swept Mission into a hug. "Remind me to always talk to you whenever I'm in a bad mood. You're really good at helping me forget about it."

"It's a special talent. Now, you're not planning on hiding in here all night again, are you? I know you weren't asleep when I came into the room last night."

"You do? And here I thought I was such a good actress."

"Hardly," Mission said, rolling her eyes. "Don't forget, I see a lot more than most people think. It's how I got by on Taris."

"Like I said, far too mature for your age."

"So are you gonna come out and join the rest of us tonight?"

Brinna sighed. "I don't know, Mission. I don't really feel like being stared at tonight."

"I bet you wouldn't say that if it was Carth who was staring at you," Mission teased her.

There must have been a pained expression on Brinna's face because Mission's expression quickly turned sober.

"Trouble in paradise?" Mission asked.

"You're nosy," Brinna responded.

"It's part of my charm."

"You like to think so, anyway."

"He does stare at you, you know," Mission said gently.

"Probably because he's waiting for me to turn into a dark Jedi or something," Brinna snorted.

"I don't think Republic soldiers look at dark Jedi like this," Mission said. Her expression changed to one of thoughtfulness tinged with something like intense interest.

"Stop it," Brinna said, playfully shoving Mission.

"Look, I know Carth's a pain but I'm telling you that I think you're maybe getting through to him or something. I mean, he's a nice guy but he just seems so angry about something. But when he's around you, he smiles. And I mean really smiles. He doesn't look so old then."

Brinna shoved Mission again. "He's not old."

"Whatever you say."

The two were quiet for a minute. Brinna couldn't help but smile. After the day she'd had, she hadn't though she'd be capable of it but Mission had successfully lifted her spirits. Of course, Mission's telling her that Carth stared at her didn't hurt either. It was gratifying to know that she wasn't the only one doing some staring.

"Come on," Mission said, getting up from her bunk and grabbing Brinna's arm, dragging her along. "You're not hiding away in here all night. You're going to go out there and eat with the rest of us. You're going to show everyone that you're still the same Brinna you were when we first met you, only you have Force powers now."

"Hmmm, I think I remember saying something about how I'd Force Trip you if I could…"

"Okay, Bastila," Mission said, rolling her eyes.

"Ugh. Please don't call me that right now."

"If the shoe fits…"

"You know what; let's go get something to eat. Hopefully if your mouth's full enough you won't be able to talk anymore."

They went out into the common room and found Canderous, Carth, and Zaalbar sitting around eating. Carth was eyeing Canderous beadily but the Mandalorian was the perfect picture of relaxation, smiling back at Carth and eating in a leisurely manner that suggested he didn't have a care in the world. Brinna shook her head at the sight and she heard Mission snort.

"I can't believe you started without me, Big Z," Mission said, plopping down next to the Wookie.

"I thought you were never coming out," he told her.

"You'd better keep an eye on that walking carpet of yours, kid," Canderous told her. "He's going to eat everything on board."

Zaalbar growled in response and Brinna moved over to seat herself next to Canderous. Carth was sitting almost directly across from her but he did not look at her.

"Oh, Canderous, get over yourself already. We all know you're a big, tough Mandalorian. No need to spill any blood unnecessarily to prove it," Brinna said, reaching over and snatching some of his food from him.

"I'm not afraid of Jedi, you know," he told her, grinning at her.

"Yeah, well, I'm not afraid of you either. Anyway, you could have fooled me the way you were all treating me last night. I felt like I'd suddenly turned into a rakghoul or something."

"It's because we're all intimidated by your newfound power," Canderous said, his mouth quirking at the corner.

"Yeah, right. As if you're intimidated by anything. You barely even batted an eyelash when Calo Nord pulled out that detonator. I, on the other hand, thought we were all done for."

Canderous nodded in acknowledgement of her statement.

"Calo Nord pulled a detonator on you?" Mission asked, her voice sounding rather awestruck.

With an arrogant smile, Canderous turned his attention to Mission, telling her in great detail about their confrontation with Calo Nord and Davik. Brinna tuned the discussion out. She glanced over at Zaalbar and saw that he, like Mission, was listening to Canderous with rapt attention.

_Oh, great, just what he needs. Another admiring audience for his war stories,_ she thought, smiling.

She turned and looked across the table at Carth and was startled to see that he was already looking at her. He gave her a small shrug and an apologetic look and she felt the last vestiges of her anger at him melting away. She shook her head but smiled at him and he smiled in response.

Brinna was glad Mission had talked her into joining everyone for dinner. Everything seemed to be almost back to normal and she almost felt as though she were back to normal as well. Bastila didn't join them and Brinna didn't ask where she was. There was no need for her to do so anyway. She knew Bastila was in the enclave and that she was meditating.

After dinner, Brinna played some Pazaak with Mission while Zaalbar sat watching them. T-3 stood next to the table, beeping away at them. Brinna couldn't make any sense of what he was trying to communicate but it looked like Mission could and Brinna began to suspect that T-3 was telling Mission which cards Brinna held in her hand. Predictably, Canderous had gone off to mess around with the weapons and equipment and Carth had disappeared into the cockpit.

A few hours passed and Mission yawned and announced that she was going to bed. Brinna made a sour face at her. They'd only been playing for a pittance each round but Mission had still managed to swindle twenty credits out of Brinna. She walked back to the bunks with Mission and they changed into their night clothes. They each lay in their bunks chatting idly for a while until Mission fell asleep. Bastila returned shortly afterward and Brinna knew that Bastila could sense she was still awake but the Jedi didn't say anything to her. A short while later, Bastila was asleep as well.

Brinna lay staring at the ceiling. She told herself that she was not going to get up but she knew that was a lie. She got up. Brinna told herself that she was not going to go to the cockpit but that was a lie as well and, with a sigh, she set off in that direction.

"I didn't think you'd be here tonight," Carth said, as soon as she walked through the doorway.


	10. Emotional Entanglements

Life fell into a new rhythm over the next several weeks, until Brinna finally found herself making peace with and accepting everything that had happened to her since she had stepped aboard the ill-fated Endar Spire. Her life was finally beginning to feel like her own once again. Bit by bit, her confidence had grown and she had become more comfortable with the idea of becoming a Jedi, though she was still having trouble accepting some of the Order's doctrines, its stance against emotional involvements in particular. In spite of this, her studies progressed at a pace that astounded everyone, herself included. Brinna was a serious and attentive student and did her best to please the Masters. Even so, Master Vrook continued to eye her with barely disguised dislike and mistrust. After a while, Brinna stopped worrying about it. When it came down to it, she'd never been one who felt obligated to please all of the people all of the time.

Her relationship with Bastila continued to be rocky as well. At times, Bastila let down her guard and showed Brinna a bit of warmth but it was as if she did it inadvertently and when she realized how she was behaving, she promptly returned to her Jedi ice princess ways. Brinna had hoped that the bond they shared and the time they had spent training together might have allowed something more comfortable to develop between the two of them, but this had not yet come to pass. In fact, each day it was looking more and more like it never would. Brinna felt a little regret over this but if Bastila didn't want to like her, so be it. She was certainly not going to beg for Bastila's friendship.

Though she had failed to find a friend in Bastila, she had grown closer and closer to Mission. The more Brinna was around her, the more she came to appreciate Mission's sense of humor, her toughness, and the rather soft-hearted core she tried so hard to hide. Underneath it all, Mission was still a kid and Brinna grew to feel more and more responsible for the young Twi'lek's happiness and well-being. In turn, Mission had accepted Brinna as an adopted older sister and they quickly developed a very tight, warm bond. Mission often served as Brinna's sounding board and Brinna did not hesitate to talk to Mission about her problems and frustrations.

The night before Brinna was to be tested by Master Zhar to determine if she was ready to progress to the rank of Padawan, she and Mission were hanging out in the bunkroom. Thinking about the tests had made Brinna rather more nervous than she had anticipated and Mission was doing her best to help Brinna relax. To this end, the two were sitting on Brinna's bunk and Mission was attempting to arrange Brinna's hair to some advantage, which was a rather impossible task, considering her bad haircut. Regardless, Brinna had always found it very soothing to have someone else play with her hair, a past-time that Amara had once loved…

"You should grow your hair out," Mission said, breaking into Brinna's reverie. "But if you insist on getting it cut, please make sure a professional does it next time. You've got a really nice head of hair but right now it looks like a Wookie's been chewing on it."

Bastila walked into the room just in time to hear Mission's comments. She studied the two with the expression Brinna had dubbed "Jedi disapproval": lips compressed into a flat line, eyes studying Brinna with an impatient look. Neither Brinna nor Mission paid her any heed.

Brinna raised a hand to her ebony locks and said, "Thanks a lot!"

"It's the truth, you know," Mission said, without apology.

"I hardly think Brinna should be worrying about the state of her hair," Bastila sniffed. "A Jedi should not be concerned with such base vanity."

With those words, she turned on her heel and stalked back out of the room, leaving Mission and Brinna staring after her.

"Droids show more warmth than Bastila," Brinna remarked wryly.

"I think you're being far too easy on her," Mission said. "Darth Malak probably shows more warmth than Bastila."

Unfortunately for Brinna, she had just taken a sip of water and it burst out of her mouth as she laughed. "Damn you, Mission! I'm soaked," she gasped, laughing and brushing uselessly at her clothes.

Mission laughed too, dropping her hands from Brinna's head. "Yeah, well, Bastila's just jealous. I mean, even with your mangy haircut it still looks better than her out-of-control mop."

Brinna laughed even harder, doubling over and rolling onto her side on the bunk. She wiped tears of mirth from her eyes and took a minute to catch her breath before saying, "You are definitely a bad influence on me."

"Always glad to be of assistance," Mission told her with a smile. "Now, would you change into your tight, cute little shirt and your sleep pants so that I can finish with your hair and you can go talk to lover boy?"

"What?" Brinna asked, the smile fading from her face as she looked at Mission in shock.

"Come on," Mission scoffed. "You really are thick, aren't you? You think I don't know that you go sneaking off every night to have a midnight chat with Carth? You think Bastila doesn't know it?"

"Oh no," Brinna groaned. "No wonder she's been giving me all those lectures lately about the dangers of forming attachments. I wondered where they'd come from."

"Duh," Mission said, making a face at Brinna. "You're not as stealthy as you like to think."

"I guess not," Brinna sighed. She got up from her bunk and started to pace the room, running a hand through her hair impatiently.

"Now I'm going to have to start all over," Mission said mildly.

Brinna didn't immediately say anything in response. No wonder Bastila had been frostier than ever lately. Her "Jedi disapproval" look had become quite familiar to Brinna as of late. It was often accompanied by "Jedi severity" and followed by a long-winded and pious lecture.

"Am I an idiot?" Brinna finally asked, stopping and facing Mission.

Mission shrugged. "Hey, I'm not like Bastila. I don't think it's my place to judge."

"I don't get it," Brinna said, her frustration clear in her voice. "I'm not usually like this. I mean, Carth doesn't even trust me. Sure, we sit in the cockpit and we talk but he still looks at me suspiciously whenever he thinks I'm not looking. He has to be the galaxy's most frustrating man. What is it about him that makes me keep coming back for more abuse?"

"Are you asking for advice on your personal life from a fourteen-year-old? You've sunk pretty low," Mission said, winking at her.

"Well, you are my last resort," Brinna said, playfully. Then she said seriously, "I can hardly ask Bastila, can I? And I don't even want to think of what Canderous would say if I tried talking to him about this."

"Good point," Mission said, smiling. "I can just picture to look on his face. I don't think he'd be a whole lot of help anyway."

"I just wish there was some way for me to convince Carth that he has no reason to suspect me like he does. I just wish he'd trust me. All I want is to be his friend. I don't want his life savings!"

"From what I've seen, Carth seems to think his trust is a lot more valuable than anything else," Mission replied.

"That's true," Brinna said with a sigh. She sat back down on the edge of her bunk and rubbed her temples tiredly. "Mission, what am I going to do? If I keep trying to befriend Carth, Bastila's going to keep giving me a hard time and I don't know if I can stand too many more of her lectures. If I stop trying, my conscience will give me a hard time. It's just so obvious to me that he needs someone to talk to and if I can possibly, by some miracle, be the person he talks to, I feel like I should be there for him."

"Why?" Mission asked.

"Because…because it's like he's on the edge, you know? And I don't want him to fall off. I think he's got too much to live for, even if he doesn't. And I'm the only one who tries. Canderous is just amused by Carth's paranoia—as if Carth would ever trust a Mandalorian anyway. Bastila's too busy trying to be a paragon of a Jedi to even bother. As for Zaalbar, well, he's not exactly the most effusive creature in the universe. And no offense, but I can't picture Carth confiding in you."

"I'm not offended," Mission assured her. "I don't think Carth sees me as a baby but I don't think he sees me as being as mature as you do. And you're right; you are the only one who's trying. You're probably the only one who's even noticed that something serious is bothering Carth, aside from me. Like you said, Carth just amuses Canderous and Bastila wouldn't realize someone had feelings if they beat her over the head with them. As for Big Z, well, like I've said before, he's really the strong, silent type. Besides, if Carth's likely to talk to anyone, it'll be you. After all, there's something about you that makes people want to talk to you, even if they don't want to talk to anyone else. I should know. I've felt it myself."

Brinna was surprised by that information. "You really think that?"

"Yeah. Ain't it obvious to you? I mean, every stranger on Taris was practically falling all over themselves to tell you about their problems and to ask you to help fix them. I'm the perfect example. Who did I go to when Big Z was kidnapped by the Gamorreans? Not the Beks, who I knew really well, but to you, who I didn't know at all."

When she stopped to consider Mission's words, Brinna realized that there was a lot of truth in them. It was a very strange realization.

"Why me? I'm nothing special," Brinna said, bewildered.

Mission snorted. "Oh yeah, right. You're nothing special at all. You're probably like the oldest Jedi apprentice in history and you're already far more advanced than apprentices who've been studying with the Jedi their whole lives. You're about to be made a Padawan after only a month of training when there are apprentices out there who've been trying for ten years."

"Mission…" Brinna began to protest, but Mission cut her off with a shake of her head so vigorous it set her head tails to wagging.

"I know how modest you are, Brinna, but it's true. You are special, whether you want to think so or not. If you ask me, the problem with Bastila is that she likes to think she's the special one, what with her Battle Meditation and all. Then, all of a sudden, you come along and blow her out of the water. That's probably half the reason why she's so cold with you."

"She's cold with everyone," Brinna said automatically.

The Twi'lek nodded in agreement. "That's true, but she's even colder with you than she is with everyone else. Hell, she's probably friendlier with Canderous than she is with you and you know how nice those two are to each other. I think we've all noticed how cold Bastila can be to you."

"Well, if I'm supposed to be so charming and wonderful that everyone wants to confide all in me, why does Bastila act that way? And what about Carth?"

"I don't know," Mission said, with a frown. "I've been trying to figure that out but I'm coming up blank. I think it's all really weird."

Brinna fell back on the bunk with a groan. "Life used to be so simple on Deralia. Now I have all this…this bantha poo-doo to deal with."

"Life was easy on Deralia, was it?" Mission asked, raising her brows skeptically.

"No," Brinna sighed. The sad thing was, she hadn't even told Mission everything about her life on Deralia, just the stuff she'd already told Carth as well. They both knew about her father but neither of them really knew anything about her mother or about Amara.

But then, what did it matter if she held back from Carth? She knew he was holding back from her as well. Mission was right; Brinna had been going out into the cockpit late each night for a chat with Carth. Her training always left her far too wired to sleep right away and it was calming to sit in the cockpit with Carth, calming to be in his presence, in spite of his continued paranoia and lack of trust.

Their relationship had grown beyond mere acquaintance but it had not yet become what Brinna would call a friendship. Carth had told her a little more about himself, even some stories about his childhood on Telos, but there was a big part of his life about which he refused to talk. There had been times when she had asked him what she had thought were innocent questions and his face had gone hard and cold and he'd withdraw into himself. Any efforts she had made to draw him out after this point were repulsed and she had relented and gone off to bed frustrated more than once.

Aside from this, their unspoken agreement was still in place. She had not yet asked him anything more about his bitterness against Saul and he, in turn, had not asked her again about her necklace. However, she didn't really enjoy holding back from Carth. She would like to be able to confide everything in him, to tell him the whole awful story, but she couldn't. If he wasn't going to trust her, she couldn't trust him enough to open herself up that way, no matter how badly she wanted to do it. In order for her to make herself vulnerable to him, he would have to make himself vulnerable to her too.

"I don't think you're the type to really want things to be easy anyway," Mission said, breaking the silence at last. "Just to prove myself right, I bet you're still planning on having a chat with Carth tonight, aren't you?"

"Yes," Brinna admitted, with a sigh.

"Take this, would ya?" Mission asked, tossing her stealth field generator at Brinna.

Using her command of the Force to entertain Mission, Brinna stopped the generator in mid-air and then redirected it back to Mission. She couldn't help but smile at the admiring gasp that came out of Mission's mouth.

"That is so cool," Mission breathed. "I'm glad you're not all stuck up about using your powers like Bastila is. But why won't you take it?"

"Because of Bastila," Brinna said succinctly. When Mission sent her a confused glance she explained, "Because I'm not going to let her tell me what I can and can't do. If I want to talk to Carth, I'm going to talk to him. I am not about to start sneaking around like I'm a disobedient teenager and Bastila's my mother."

"Bastila as a mother," Mission said, with an exaggerated shudder. "Now there's a scary thought."

Brinna laughed and turned to her footlocker, digging her pajamas out as she spoke. "No chance of that. Bastila doesn't believe in emotional entanglements, remember?"

Unfortunately for her, she did not see Bastila and she did not sense the other Jedi's presence until it was too late. "Neither should you," Bastila's cold voice said. "But then, you do like to pick and choose which of the tenants you wish to follow, do you not?"

Straightening up with her pajamas in hand, Brinna pushed aside the slight guilt she felt at Bastila's words. She turned to face Bastila and, out of the corner of her eye, saw Mission wincing. "Not tonight, Bastila," Brinna said, in a tight voice.

"I will not say anything more. I know you are nervous about your tests tomorrow, as well you should be. However, I would suggest you spend considerable time meditating upon your own behavior and coming to a decision as to whether or not you are going to abide by the tenants you are supposed to be promising to uphold."

Gritting her teeth, Brinna nodded curtly at Bastila and then turned away from her and began to change her clothes. When she was finished, she returned to her bunk and Mission began to play with her hair once more but any relaxation Brinna might have felt was buried under her annoyance with Bastila.

_Why doesn't she just come right out and say it? She doesn't think I'm fit to be a Jedi,_ Brinna thought.

_Well, maybe she's right,_ a small voice in the back of her mind replied. _After all, you aren't very good at following the tenants of the Order, are you? _

"As if she is," Brinna muttered under her breath.

"You're talking out loud again," Mission breathed. She was used to the odd phrase that popped out of Brinna's mouth when Brinna's internal dialogue was raging.

There was a tense silence in the room and all the fun Brinna and Mission had been having was gone. Without delay, Mission finished what she was doing and then she and Brinna gave her handiwork no more than a perfunctory glance before Mission climbed into her own bunk to sleep. Brinna didn't even bother to wait until she was certain Bastila was asleep before she slipped out of the bunkroom.

As usual, Carth was already in the cockpit when she arrived. Sometimes Brinna wondered if he ever left it for any other purpose than to eat meals in the common room with everyone else. Something told her that he probably didn't.

"Hey," he said, without turning around.

"Hey," she answered, wearily slipping into the empty seat.

He must have heard the fatigue in her tone because he turned to look sympathetically at her. "You nervous about tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes," she admitted. "And it doesn't help that I just had a little spat with Bastila."

"Over what?" he asked, and she realized her mistake.

She decided it was time for a partial truth. "She doesn't think I adhere to the Jedi Code as strictly as I should."

To her surprise, he smiled. "She probably thinks that about most of the other Jedi she knows."

"Carth!" she said, shocked. She had only once before heard him say something less than respectful about Bastila, back on Taris when he had given her a hard time about her losing her lightsaber.

"Oh, what? Sure, I admire Bastila but she's not perfect."

"I didn't think you had it in you," Brinna said, almost admiringly.

"I'm just full of surprises," he said, with a grin.

"I guess so," she said, smiling.

"Don't worry about Bastila. She's just uptight."

"She's not the only one," Brinna said, looking pointedly at Carth.

"Guilty as charged," he admitted, with an affable smile.

"I have to admit; sometimes I think she is right. I mean, I admire the Jedi and think they do a lot of good but there are things about the Order that…well, I guess they don't sit right with me."

"Like what?" Carth asked.

"Like the idea of not allowing yourself to feel emotions, to not allow yourself to become attached to anyone. I don't know…I guess it just strikes me as sort of lonely," Brinna said, with a shrug.

"It is," Carth said.

Surprised, she turned to look at him and saw that his face was tense as he stared out into space. His eyes had taken on a haunted look that she had seen in them before. It was a look she knew well. She'd worn it for a while herself.

She wanted to probe but she sensed that if she pushed him any further he would shut down again and she didn't want that, not tonight. It was something that he had shared those two little words with her. Carth turned to look at her and she saw something like gratitude in his gaze. At the sight, she was glad she'd chosen not to push him any further just yet.

"Your hair's different," he said, gazing at her contemplatively.

"Oh, yeah. Mission was fooling around with it earlier to try to help me relax. Of course, she wasn't all that much help. I mean, she had the nerve to tell me that my hair looks like a Wookie's been chewing on it," Brinna told him, in mock-outrage.

He laughed and shook his head. "Wow, she's certainly sweet."

"Yeah, she's a real gem."

"Well, I don't think it looks like a Wookie's been chewing on it," he told her.

"Thanks."

"It looks more like a womp rat's been snacking on it to me."

"Listen, flyboy, I have Force powers and I'm not afraid to use them," she said, trying to sound menacing but failing spectacularly because of the laughter in her voice.

"Oooh, I'm scared."

"Is that the best you can do? Really, Carth, you disappoint me." She shook her head and sent him a disparaging look.

"I'm serious. I mean, I thought you were scary before but now that you have Force powers…"

"You ought to work on developing that charm. A little bit more of it and you'll be irresistible to women the galaxy over," she said sarcastically.

"Right," he said faintly. A look of pain flashed across his face but it was gone almost as quickly as it came. "Listen, you shouldn't worry. I'm sure you'll do a great job tomorrow. I told you on Taris that you're one of the most skilled women I've ever met and I was serious about that."

"Thanks," Brinna said, strangely touched.

"There's no need to thank me. It's the truth. Anyway, it seems pretty ridiculous to me that you'd even worry about how well you're going to do. I mean, you've only been training for a month and the Jedi already think you're ready to become a Padawan. Don't you think that's a pretty fair indication that you can most likely handle whatever test they're going to put you through?"

"You sound like Mission."

"That's because Mission's right."

"I guess you two aren't as useless as I'd feared," Brinna teased.

"That's good of you to say," Carth said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, whatever test they put me through can't be as brutal as the training's been," Brinna said, wincing and rubbing her sore neck. "Sometimes I think they're trying to kill me."

"Poor baby."

"Your sympathy overwhelms me."

"Anytime."

"You may be used to the abuse, soldier boy, but don't forget I was a simple scout before this whole thing started."

"I find it hard to believe you were ever simple in any way," he told her.

She smiled at that. "True enough. I've been called many things but simple's not one of them."

"Oh really? What else have you been called?" he asked teasingly, looking at her with upraised brows.

"Well, aside from the standards of gorgeous and beautiful, I've also been called amazing, wonderful, perfect…"

"Don't you think you're exaggerating just a bit with that last one?" he asked her, with a smile.

She couldn't help but notice he'd only referred to the last word. Her heart did a strange lurch.

_Stop it!_

"Not at all," she said, hoping he hadn't noticed her reaction.

"You just keep telling yourself that," he said.

"Shhh. I like the world I've created in my head. Don't ruin it," she told him.

"I wouldn't want to do that," he responded.

They were quiet for a minute, Brinna massaging her neck absentmindedly. She wondered if he'd meant to compliment her, or if she was reading too much into things. It was probably the latter, she decided. But then again, he had called her both beautiful and gorgeous. She maybe could have written that off but there'd been that eye-opening incident in the common room, in front of Zaalbar and Mission…

"You're obviously getting nowhere fast," Carth said, breaking into her thoughts.

"What?" she asked, momentarily disoriented by the way his statement fit eerily well with the thoughts that had been running through her head.

"With your neck. You've been doing that since you came in here. You look all contorted."

"Deal with it. I'm in pain."

"Sorry, I can't deal with it any longer," he told her, standing up from his chair.

Confused, she watched him, thinking he was going to leave and wondering how it was possible for something as stupid as her massaging her own neck to make him angry. The next thing she knew, he had stepped around the console and was standing behind her, gently pushing her hand away as he own hands came down on her shoulders and he began rubbing.

At first she was so shocked by the gesture that her shoulders became tenser than ever. However, under his careful ministrations, she felt the knots in her muscles ease and then disappear altogether. His hands were warm and sure and he applied just enough pressure with his thumbs to make her feel like her muscles were melting under his touch. Inadvertently, she felt her head tip forward as the tension eased out of her.

"You're far too good at this. You must have had a lot of practice," she mumbled, barely able to string a coherent sentence together thanks to the magic he was working with his hands.

"It's been a long time," he said, noncommittally.

She wanted to puzzle over his words but she was far too distracted by his hands. She wondered how it was that she could possibly find his touch both relaxing and stimulating at the same time. All of her worries and cares melted away and she found herself hoping he wouldn't stop any time soon.

His hands shifted and she felt his thumbs brush over the nape of her neck with a feather-light touch that made her spine tingle. Gently, he eased his thumbs up under the leather cord of her necklace. Her skin was suddenly extremely sensitive and it was all she could do to prevent herself from gasping aloud. She felt herself shiver slightly and whether he noticed it or not, she couldn't say. He had begun to gently knead to knot that she had been trying unsuccessfully to rub out herself.

Carth didn't remove his hands from her immediately after he finished. He left them to rest on her and his warmth permeated the thin fabric of her shirt. His thumbs brushed gently once more over the back of her neck as he slowly eased his hands away from her. There was a funny sensation in the pit of her stomach and she found herself wishing he would put his hands back where they had been.

"Thanks," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound too breathless.

"Anytime," he said and the low tone of his voice sent another thrill through her. She was a sucker for that voice. She had been ever since the first moment she'd heard it.

"I feel a lot better now," she said, finding it took some effort to keep her tone even, to prevent herself from stumbling over her words.

"Glad I could help," he replied.

"I'm so relaxed I could probably fall asleep right here. I should probably get to bed now," she told him. It was a complete lie. She wasn't at all relaxed. Every nerve in her body seemed to be tingling and she felt a little lightheaded. The truth was, she was finding herself very attracted to Carth and she had decided that she had better put as much distance between herself and him as possible for the time being.

"Good night, Brinna," he said to her as she stood and made her way past him.

"Good night, Carth," she said, nearly fleeing from the room.


	11. Cleansed

Brinna was in the middle of a very pleasant dream when an extremely unwelcome voice cut in, telling her that it was time to get up. With a groan, Brinna rolled over and tried desperately to recall the dream, to fall back into it, but the voice was now accompanied by an impatient hand jostling her shoulder.

"All right, I'm up," Brinna said grouchily, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

Bastila frowned at her. "Today is an important day. I would have thought you'd have long since risen."

"I'm not a morning person," Brinna said shortly.

"Obviously," Bastila replied, pressing her lips into a thin line and turning away from Brinna.

Scrubbing a hand over her face and groaning one last time, Brinna pulled herself out of her bunk and went over to her footlocker, dressing swiftly and pulling on her Echani fiber armor. She tried her best to suppress a yawn as she pulled her boots on and reached for her weapons.

"Perhaps if you did not stay up so late you would not feel the need to sleep in as late as you do," Bastila said. Her voice rang with disapproval and Brinna felt her grouchiness increase tenfold.

"Why don't you just come right out and say what you want to say?" she asked, striding over to Bastila and meeting her eye-to-eye with a challenging gaze. "Why don't you just forbid me to spend time with Carth?"

There was a flash of anger in Bastila's eyes but it was quickly replaced by the serene look she seemed to have perfected. However, her appearance could not deceive Brinna, as attuned with Bastila's emotions as she was. Brinna knew the other Jedi was very annoyed with her.

"I can hardly forbid you to do anything you wish to do. I have no such control over you or your actions," Bastila said, in an icy tone.

"Oh really? I was under the impression that you thought you did."

"I am merely trying to help you. You may choose to follow my advice or not, according to your own poorly considered whims. I am simply trying to help you understand what is proper for a Jedi and what is not for you seem quite determined to prove that you do not understand."

With that, Bastila turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. As soon as she was gone, Mission sprang up from her bunk, where she had been pretending to sleep.

"She can lecture with the best of them, can't she?" Mission asked.

Brinna sighed and rubbed her forehead. "As much as I hate to admit it, she is right," she said reluctantly. "I'm not very good at following some of tenants of the Jedi Code."

"And that's a problem because?"

"Because I'm training to become a Jedi. Who am I to pick and choose which tenants I'm going to follow? If I truly am committed to this path, I should follow the rules instead of doing my best to break them."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe the rules don't make any sense?"

"They exist for a reason. I can see what the Masters are saying; strong emotions could allow the dark side a foothold. I don't know, Mission. Sometimes I think I'm just not cut out for this. I'm about the least serene person I know. How can I ever make a good Jedi if I'm always flying off the handle about the slightest little thing?"

"You'll be a great Jedi because you always want to do what's right. That's all that's important."

"I don't know if that's true or if that's just what I tell myself to try to justify my weaknesses."

"Everyone has weaknesses, even Ms. Perfect Jedi. You just need to know that they're there and do your best to overcome them."

"Maybe you should be a Jedi Master," Brinna teased Mission affectionately. "For as wise as they can be, at times I think I hear greater wisdom coming out of your mouth than theirs."

"It's not wisdom, just common sense," Mission said.

"Call it what you want, then," Brinna said. Her mood turned sober once more. "I should try to get along with Bastila better, though. I don't know what it is about her. All she has to do is look at me funny and I find myself going off on her. I don't like it. I'd rather she and I be friends."

"Stranger things have happened," Mission said, sliding off her bunk and moving over to her own footlocker.

Brinna walked out of the bunkroom, tying her hair back as she went. She found Carth, Canderous, Zaalbar, and Bastila in the common area. Carth was trying to make conversation with Bastila but the Jedi was giving him short answers to all of his questions. He glanced over at Brinna with a questioning look and she shrugged apologetically.

"Excuse us," Bastila said. She had sensed that Brinna wanted to talk to her and they headed into the cockpit.

"That's unnatural," Brinna heard Canderous remark, no doubt in reference to her and Bastila's ability to communicate without words.

"Look, Bastila, I'm sorry about picking a fight with you in the bunkroom. It's just…well, I know you disapprove of my relationship with Carth. I know you mean well with your advice but Carth needs someone to talk to and I'm the only one he's responded to. I can't just abandon that. I don't ask you to accept this but I at least hope you will understand."

To Brinna's astonishment, Bastila looked troubled. "I will not lie to you, Brinna. I am troubled about your relationship with Carth. I think it ill advised. But I know you will not heed my advice in that area. I just ask that you use caution, as much as you are able."

"I will, Bastila," Brinna agreed, trying her best to overlook the subtle digs Bastila had gotten in on her.

"Come. We mustn't keep Master Zhar waiting any longer," Bastila told her.

"Carth, you're with us," Brinna said, as they walked back out into the common room. She could sense Bastila's disapproval but, for once, the Jedi kept her mouth shut.

Carth suited up quickly and he, Bastila, and Brinna exited the Hawk and made for the training room adjoining the Council chambers. Carth and Bastila stood near the door as Brinna advanced to Master Zhar to begin her first test.

To her relief, it was an easy one. She simply had to recite the Jedi Code to Master Zhar. Though she had yet to prove that she could live by it, she had memorized it the first day of her training and she had no problem reciting it correctly to Master Zhar. He nodded his approval but Brinna noticed there was a guarded expression on his face as he sent her to Master Dorak to choose a lightsaber.

Master Dorak explained the different positions within the Order to her and asked her a series of questions to determine the position to which he felt her most suited. It was obvious to her from the start that she was meant to be a Guardian. She did not have the patience or the tact that either one of the other positions required but she had always been good at rushing into the fray, fists blazing. Her answers to Master Dorak's questions only reinforced her beliefs and he placed a lightsaber and a blue crystal in her hands.

As she accepted her new weapon from him, Brinna felt a strange sensation. The weapon just felt so…right in her hands. She could think of no other way to describe the sensation. From the moment she touched it, she felt as though she'd been wielding a lightsaber all her life and this feeling gave her a burst of confidence, making her feel that maybe she was truly meant to follow this path.

She carried the lightsaber and the crystal over to the workbench where she deftly set the crystal within the hilt. The task was as easy to her as upgrading a vibroblade and when she handed the weapon to Master Zhar for inspection, he complimented her work.

He then assigned her a final task. There was a grove not far from the compound where the Jedi had once gone to meditate but it was now tainted. Master Zhar would not give her any specific details about the nature of the taint but he did say some things that made Brinna think that maybe her task might require some brains as well as some brawn.

"You must complete this task without the aide of another Jedi. You may take companions with you if you wish but you must use what you have learned to help you determine how to complete this task," Master Zhar told her. "For your actions will help to determine the path you will take as a member of the Order. Padawan Bastila will remain here with the Council until your task is complete. Once you have cleansed the grove, return to the Council chambers so that you may explain your actions."

"I understand, Master Zhar," Brinna said, inclining her head to him.

"So now what?" Carth asked when she walked over to him.

"All Master Zhar would tell me is that there is a tainted grove to the west of the enclave that I must cleanse. He said I may bring companions with me but I have to complete the task without the benefit of any Jedi counsel so Bastila has to stay behind while I do it."

"Tainted grove?"

"You now have as much information as I do," she said, in response to his questioning look. "Come on, let's go get Canderous. I have a feeling I'm going to need his help in addition to yours."

Carth muttered something indistinct about the madness of Jedi training techniques and Brinna couldn't help but smile. They headed back to the Hawk and collected Canderous, who looked extremely satisfied at having been fetched to accompany them.

"So you needed a little muscle on this crazy Jedi quest of yours," he said smugly, eyeing Carth.

Brinna could see Carth's face go slightly red and she decided she'd better intervene. "Fair enough. I wouldn't ask you along for your brains," she told him carelessly.

Carth shot her a glance that seemed to indicate that he thought she was crazy but Canderous merely laughed at her needling, as she'd known he would. If there was one thing she could say about the Mandalorian, it was that he had a better sense of humor than any of her other companions seemed to realize.

"I don't know how you do it," Carth marveled to her, in a voice that only she could hear.

She shrugged. "I guess I just have a way with Mandalorians."

"You seem to have a way with everyone," he said, but she wasn't quite sure he intended for her to hear him. He was moving away as he said it and was speaking in something of an undertone.

His words reinforced what Mission had said to her and Brinna felt a strange sense of unreality. She sifted through her memories to see if she could remember any other occasions upon which she had used her supposed charm but she couldn't remember anything specific. Maybe she had just been unaware of her ability to interact well with most people she'd met. Still, it seemed strange that she had never really noticed this before Mission had pointed it out to her.

On their way through the enclave's outer courtyard, Brinna, Carth, and Canderous encountered a man named Gar and his wife Rilka, who had come to ask the Council for help with the aggressive kath hounds and the rogue Mandalorians who were terrorizing the area. Brinna was surprised to hear about the Mandalorians, but Canderous obviously wasn't as he made a disparaging comment about the roving bands who were sweeping across the galaxy. Gar then told them about another settler, Jon, who had lost his daughter when the Mandalorians had invaded his home.

"He should have been protecting her better if he wanted to keep her," Canderous said contemptuously.

Gar responded angrily to Canderous's words, calling him a Mandalorian beast. Brinna agreed with Gar; Canderous's words had turned her stomach. She realized that she was sometimes so focused on the good humor in him and on his potential that she forgot just how depraved he had been in the past and may very well continue to be in the future. She glanced over at Carth and saw that his jaw was set in an angry line and his grip on his vibroblades was so tight that his knuckles were white.

When they had finished speaking with Gar, they made their way over to Jon who gave them some more detail about what had happened during the Mandalorian raid on his home. Canderous once again expressed his disgust at Jon's inability to care for his daughter and Brinna felt herself get truly angry. She agreed to do whatever she could to rid the area of the Mandalorians and promised Jon that she would let him know if she was able to find and take down their leader.

"That was really uncalled for, don't you think?" Brinna angrily asked Canderous as they moved away from the enclave. "That poor man just lost his daughter. How do you think he feels? What you said to him was just plain reprehensible."

"We Mandalorians take responsibility for our own weakness," Canderous replied to her, his tone derisive. "We don't have any of your precious Republic illusions or Jedi sanctimonious rhetoric."

"So it was weakness that prevented that poor man from being able to defend his family against a bunch of highly armed and dangerous Mandalorians? You know, Canderous, sometimes I think you're incapable of seeing reality for what it is. Your head is so full of battle and glory that you don't understand what it means to be human. I find that extremely disappointing," Brinna said.

He opened his mouth to say something more but she dismissed him with a gesture and moved ahead of him. She was far too angry to continue the argument and she took several deep breaths and recited the Jedi Code in her head in an attempt to clear the black fog of anger that had taken up residence in her mind. She was disappointed in him. He could be so much more than he was, if only he'd learn to open his mind up a little. Perhaps it was ridiculous for her to think that she could help him change but she was determined to do what she could.

"I'm glad you stood up to him," Carth told her quietly, startling her out of her thoughts.

"I couldn't believe he said what he did to that poor man. It made me sick to my stomach."

"Me too," Carth said, clenching his jaw.

Once again, she caught a glimpse of the deep, deep pain he did his best to conceal. She opened her mouth to ask him a question but was interrupted by Canderous's battle cry of, "This is what I live for!" Brinna turned to see that he was in hot pursuit of a kath hound.

Clearing her mind of her anger, Brinna focused on the Force that flowed through her and used it to help her leap the distance between her and the kath hound. She had tried this technique during some of her sparring sessions with Bastila and it never ceased to amaze her. It was pure exhilaration to leap through the air in that manner and it always caused a thrill in the pit of Brinna's stomach.

The kath hound was only the first of many that they encountered as they made their way through the plains of Dantooine seeking both the grove and the rogue Mandalorians. It did not take long for Brinna to understand why the beasts were proving such a threat to the settlers in the area. Though they weren't much trouble for her, Carth, and Canderous, they were tough and ferocious beasts and she did not doubt that they could make short work of any unsuspecting settler who was unused to combat.

Brinna had originally intended to head directly to the grove to complete her task and then report back to the Masters as soon as she had finished. However, her mind kept echoing with Jon's voice and she could think of nothing other than his obvious anguish. She also had to admit that she felt partially responsible for the further pain Canderous had inflicted on the poor man. It wasn't as if she could dictate how everyone in her party should feel or what they should say, nor would she want to do so. But the fact remained that she had chosen to bring Canderous along on the mission and she couldn't help but feel that it was up to her to do what she could to repair any extra damage he may have inflicted.

"Change of plan," she told Carth and Canderous as they stood around trying to catch their breath after the latest kath hound attack. "We're going to hunt down those Mandalorians before we go to the grove."

"I knew you wouldn't let me down," Canderous said. His smile was nearly feral and there was an unsettling gleam in his eyes as he stowed his vibroblades in the sheaths strapped to his back.

"Just be sure you don't let me down again," Brinna said, her own eyes flashing as she sized him up.

Canderous turned his menacing stare on her and, out of the corner of her eye, Brinna saw Carth take a step toward them, his own vibroblades tightly clenched in his hands. She ignored Carth and, instead, concentrated on staring Canderous down. Several tense minutes passed but, in the end, it was Canderous who backed down, dropping his gaze from hers.

"Are we going to stand around here all day?" he asked, his voice gruff.

"Let's move," Brinna said, turning from him and leading them south. Carth briefly caught her eye and she smiled grimly in response to his look of amazement.

It wasn't difficult to find the Mandalorians. They stood around in plain view, heavily armored and armed and in the company of several mercenary Duos. After a while, Brinna became inured to the sound of the death rattles of the fallen warriors, of the heavy stench of blood and flesh seared courtesy of her lightsaber. In fact, deep inside she couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, a sense rather akin to exhilaration as she cut down her enemies, which she found extremely disturbing. She had never really thought herself a violent person but standing out there on the plains, her fallen enemies lying at her feet, a heady sensation rushed through her blood and she found that she liked it. It was this knowledge that frightened her more than anything she'd experienced up to this point.

_The lure of the dark side is difficult to resist. You must always be on your guard against its insidious call, _Master Zhar's voice said, inside her head.

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply and finding her center, reciting the Code in the hopes that its words might help her. To her relief, they did and she was soon herself again.

"Are you all right?" Carth asked, looking at her with a glance that was both concerned and slightly suspicious at the same time.

"I'm fine," she told him.

He nodded curtly and turned away from her to rummage through an equipment pack that had belonged to one of the Duros they had just slain.

_What would he think of me if he knew what was going through my mind just a minute ago?_ she asked herself. _What do I think of myself?_

Brinna shook her head slightly and told herself to snap out of it. All of a sudden, she felt a strange rush of déjà vu and she looked about the plains before her with some confusion. She was seeing them for the first time and, yet, they seemed familiar somehow…

"These men were without honor," Canderous spat, his voice jolting her back to reality. "Looking at them makes me sick. Let's hurry up and find their leader. I'll enjoy giving him his due."

"Right. Let's go," Brinna said, her voice tight.

They soon found the leader of the rogue Mandalorians and though he put up a good fight, he and his men eventually fell. Brinna clutched at her side, wincing at the wound left there by a blaster bolt that had made it past her lightsaber while she was busy using it to slash her way through one of the Mandalorians. She ignored the pain and walked over to the fallen Mandalorian leader, picking his helmet up and stowing it away in her pack.

"For Jon," she said, in reply to Carth's questioning look.

He nodded, his eyes going darker than usual and, once again, she could sense his anger and guilt. She saw that she wasn't the only one a little worse for the wear; Carth was sporting a nasty-looking wound on his left arm and a matching one on his upper left thigh. Canderous, as usual, stood about looking nonchalant as his regenerative implant worked its magic.

Closing her eyes and calling on the Force that flowed within her, Brinna used her powers to heal herself and Carth. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes met his and he shook his head.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to you doing that," he told her.

She smiled. "Don't hate me because I have Jedi powers," she told him.

"I don't think I could ever hate you," he told her, smiling in response.

Brinna wanted to say something more but before she could, Canderous said, "Are you two going to stand around yammering all day or are we going to go to that grove and get Brinna's little task over with?"

"Canderous is right, we do need to get moving," Brinna said, glancing up at the sky, noticing for the first time that they would soon run out of daylight. She found that she was annoyed with Canderous again, but for a very different reason this time.

"Here, I thought you might find these handy," Carth said, handing her the lightsabers the Mandalorian leader had boasted about collecting.

"Thanks," she said, taking them from him. Her fingers brushed his as he handed them over and she felt herself blushing like some sort of simple schoolgirl. "Come on, we'd better get a move on before Canderous gets too far ahead of us and we stumble on kath hounds chewing his sorry corpse."

Carth laughed. "I think I'm more worried about the kath hounds."

She smiled and the two of them hurried to catch up with Canderous. They were mostly silent as they made their way to the grove, hacking their way through any kath hounds that happened to be unfortunate enough to stumble across their path. There seemed to be an endless supply of the beasts and Brinna wondered what could possibly have happened to have caused them to become as ferocious as they now were.

The last of the daylight was waning as they approached the grove. Kneeling amidst a tumbled cluster of stones was a Cathari female, who appeared to be meditating. Brinna, Carth, and Canderous had only a moment to exchange puzzled looks before the Cathari sprang up, crying, "I will be your doom!" Before Brinna could say anything to her, she had stunned Carth and Canderous and attacked Brinna with her lightsaber.

_This is the taint? This Jedi?_ Brinna thought stupidly as the Cathari's lightsaber met hers with a shower of sparks. _Nice of the Masters to tell me…_

Brinna had no further leisure for thought as she turned her concentration to the fight with the Cathari. The Cathari was strong and skilled but not as strong or as skilled as Brinna and she called the fight to a stop, asking Brinna why she had come to the grove.

Though the dark side had a hold on the Cathari, Brinna could sense that the female was not yet wholly overcome by it. Choosing her words carefully, Brinna questioned the Cathari and learned that it was she who had caused the kath hounds to become suddenly vicious, that she had turned to the dark side after she had struck her Master, Quatra, down in anger during training. Compassion for the young female flowed through Brinna, and she spoke gently, hoping that she could somehow reach out to the Cathari, that their battle could end in something other than violence.

Her words had the desired effect and Brinna could soon feel that the darkness emanating from the Cathari was waning. By this time, Carth and Canderous were no longer stunned but they stood as still as if they both still were, apparently captivated by what was transpiring between Brinna and the Cathari, Juhani.

At last, Juhani agreed to return to the Enclave and speak with the Masters. She thanked Brinna for her help and ran in the direction of the Enclave. Brinna found that she was more exhausted by the battle to reclaim Juhani from the dark side than she had been by the physical battle that had occurred between the two of them.

"Wow," Carth breathed, staring at her in amazement.

"Your words might have turned Mandalore himself," Canderous remarked, looking at her with something like admiration.

She smiled tiredly at the two of them. "Yes, I'm ever so amazing. Can we go back to the Enclave now? I'm tired and I'm sick of the stench of kath hounds."

Canderous grinned at her and turned in the direction of the Enclave and Carth cast one last look of wonder her way before turning and following.

Brinna felt a warm glow of satisfaction as she and her comrades made their way back to the Enclave. She now understood what Master Zhar had been trying to teach her throughout her training. Jedi were not mindless soldiers, using sheer brute force to defeat their enemies. A Jedi should always use his or her wisdom as well as sometimes things were not always what they seemed.

Before entering the Enclave, Brinna stopped and gave the helmet of the fallen Mandalorian leader to Jon. There were tears in the man's eyes as he handed her several credit chips and though she protested that no reward was necessary, he insisted that she take them. She knew that he would not soon recover from his grief but she was glad she had done what she could to bring about some sort of justice, some sort of closure for him.

Once inside the Enclave, Brinna found Juhani standing in the inner courtyard, chatting with the young Jedi Belaya, who had mistakenly scolded Brinna for not wearing Jedi robes. Juhani told her that she'd spoken with the Masters and that they had explained to her that Quatra had not died, that what had passed between Juhani and her Master had been a part of Juhani's training. Quatra had taught Juhani all she could and had moved on to train other prospective Jedi. The Council had forgiven Juhani and had taken her back into their fold.

Carth shook his head incredulously and said that he could not approve of such training methods. Brinna was rather shocked herself and found that she agreed with him. Had such an exercise failed, Juhani might have been lost to the dark side or she might have been slain at Brinna's hand. Brinna couldn't shake the conviction that it was rather cavalier of the Masters to toy with a life in this manner.

Tactfully as usual, Canderous announced that the Jedi's forgiveness of Juhani and their willingness to give her a second chance constituted a weakness on the part of the Jedi. Juhani glared at him and Brinna felt a ripple of darkness from her.

Rolling her eyes, Brinna said dryly, "Right. The whole galaxy should behave as civilly as you Mandalorians do. Come on, we need to go see the Council."

Before they left, Juhani thanked Brinna once more and Belaya expressed the conviction that Brinna had done a good thing by bringing Juhani back into the Order. Brinna was glad to leave the two friends to their conversation as it was obvious that they had a great deal to discuss and that they were very happy to see each other once again.

The Council was very pleased with Brinna's actions, and even Bastila sent a rather approving glance Brinna's way. The Masters were very glad that she had returned Juhani to them but they warned her to view Juhani as an example of the perils of the dark side, advice that Brinna accepted very soberly. She was awarded the rank of Padawan and given a set of Jedi robes to wear, as proof of her standing within the Order. Brinna went into a back room to change into her robes before receiving her first mission from the Council.

As she traded her clothing and her Echani fiber armor for the Jedi robes, Brinna's heart lurched almost painfully in her chest. She was really and truly a part of the Jedi Order and was now subject to the whims of the Council. Once more, she felt doubt creeping up on her but, to her surprise, she found that she felt at home in her Jedi robes.

_It's time for me to stop doubting myself, to stop doubting my abilities, and to become what I was meant to be,_ she told herself as she studied her appearance in a mirror. Her reflection stared back at her with a serious expression.

"I am a Jedi," she told it, speaking quietly. The truth of the words gave her the strength she needed to gather up her things and return to the Council chambers.

Brinna's first mission as a Jedi was to explore the Dantooine ruins that she and Bastila had seen in their shared vision. She was to take Bastila with her and they were to promptly report their findings back to the Council. When the assignment had been given, Master Vandar took Brinna aside to speak with her. He told her a little more about Bastila, stating that she would one day be a great Jedi and that her Battle Meditation was a gift. However, Brinna could sense Vandar's concern for Bastila and she ventured to ask him about Bastila's defeat of Revan. Master Vandar's gaze was troubled as he told her that Bastila had been upset when Revan had been slain.

The information provided by Master Vandar was extremely useful to Brinna. She now felt that she had some explanation for Bastila's cold behavior. Her fight with Revan had apparently left her scarred and, doubtless, her sudden sharing of these visions with Brinna had only opened old wounds for her. Brinna felt that Bastila's coldness toward her could be attributed to the unpleasant memories that Brinna had, through no fault of her own, dredged up for the other Jedi.

Suddenly, an angry man burst into the chamber, railing at the Masters that they were ignoring his demands and that if they did not take action soon, he would. Brinna stared in surprise at the man as he left the chamber. The Masters looked troubled as they told her that the man, Ahlan Matale, had been long embroiled in a feud with the Sandral family and that the recent disappearance of his son Shen had nearly sent him over the edge. They said that though the mission they had given her was important, they could not ignore the concerns of the settlers and asked her to look into Ahlan Matale's claims, which she readily agreed to do. The Council wished her luck and dismissed her.

Bastila immediately took the lead, heading toward the Ebon Hawk. Canderous looked at the Jedi with a rather amused expression before following a short distance behind her. Carth waited for Brinna and the two of them walked back to the ship in something of an awkward silence.

As they walked, Brinna was aware that Carth kept sneaking what he probably thought were covert glances at her. She could sense his discomfort and wanted to ask him about the cause of it but she did not want to do so in front of Bastila. Fortunately for her, Bastila and Canderous boarded the ship as soon as they reached the hangar and Brinna stopped for a moment to take a few deep breaths of the cool night air and look off into the Dantooine twilight. Carth followed suit and just when Brinna could no longer stand it and turned to him to say something; she found that he was already staring at her with a rather intense gaze. Her breath caught in her throat, her words dying. Carth reached out and very gently brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"So you're really a Jedi now," he said softly, looking at her robes.

"Apparently," she replied, feeling like an idiot.

He smiled at her but the expression fell a little short and didn't quite extend to his eyes. There was something of a wistful expression on his face as he said, "You're going to be a good Jedi."

"Thank you, Carth," she said quietly.

Carth walked past her and boarded the ship as she stood staring at his retreating back. Her thoughts were a confused jumble of all that had happened to her that day but, for the most part, what she thought about was Carth. What was the meaning behind his reaction to her becoming a Padawan?


	12. Crystals and Feuds

Brinna and Carth were standing outside of the Ebon Hawk, studying the gathering twilight. Carth was unusually silent and Brinna was bored. She yawned and studied her nails before carefully smoothing a minute fold out of the left arm of her Jedi robes.

"What's wrong, Carth? Kath hounds got your tongue?" she asked him, holding a hand out so that she could study her nails from a distance.

He turned to look at her. "How about a game of Pazaak?" he asked.

"I've already taken all of your credits," Brinna said in a bored tone. "If you lose again, you're going to have to tell me your big secret."

"I'll tell you my big secret right now. It's…"

Carth was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Bastila, who stomped so loudly down the Ebon Hawk's loading ramp that she sounded like a herd of rampaging rontos.

"What are you two doing? Haven't I warned you about emotional entanglements, Brinna? I don't know why I bother with you. You refuse to hear a word I say. And furthermore…"

Brinna zoned out and the sound of Bastila's voice became nothing more than an annoying hum in the back of her mind. After a while, though, she tired of the hum and raising her hand almost languidly, she closed her eyes and called upon the Force for aide. When she opened them again, she turned to see that she had turned Bastila into Lyn, the Twi'lek dancer from Taris, and that Bastila was executing a series of complicated dance moves, much to the amusement of Carth who clapped and laughed to the rhythm of Bastila's movements.

"She's not as good as you, though," he said hastily, in response to the scathing look Brinna sent his way.

"Brinna!" Mission's voice called, floating from the Ebon Hawk.

"What do you want?" Brinna asked her.

"Wake up!" Mission replied and the Ebon Hawk began to waver and disappear.

"What's going on here?" Brinna asked, confused.

She blinked and when she opened her eyes, she saw the blurry outline of her bunk on the Ebon Hawk. She blinked again, clearing the sleep from her eyes and saw that Mission was standing next to her bunk, looking down at her with an amused expression.

"That must have been one interesting dream," Mission said to her with a grin.

"Why?" Brinna asked, sitting up and scrubbing her hands over her face. What a bizarre dream…

"Because you were laughing in your sleep."

"I was?" Brinna asked, and she couldn't help but smile. "Well, I guess you could say it was interesting." She glanced around the room to make sure Bastila was absent before she continued. "I turned Bastila into a Twi'lek dancer I met on Taris."

Mission snickered. "I would have loved to see that."

"It was pretty amusing," Brinna admitted, her smile broadening.

"Here, I brought this for you," Mission said, handing her a steaming mug of caffa.

Brinna groaned gratefully and eagerly took the mug from Mission. "You're a lifesaver, you know that? Thanks for coming to get me up before Bastila could come storming in here."

"Since you've done such a good job of looking out for me and Big Z, I figured the least I could do is try to save you from Bastila."

"Works for me," Brinna said. She boosted herself out of her bunk and went to her footlocker, changing into her Jedi robes quickly, clipping her own lightsaber to her belt and then adding one of the sabers that they had collected from the Mandalorian leader's corpse. She grabbed her mug and turned back to Mission.

"Seeing you in Jedi robes is just so weird," Mission said, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh great," Brinna said, rolling her eyes. "Tell me you're not all going to be treating me like I have the Iridian plague again."

"Nah. This time we figured we'd just all bow down in worship to you," Mission teased.

"Now that's more like it," Brinna replied with a grin. "Come on, I'm starving."

Brinna led the way into the common room, where everyone was gathered eating breakfast and sipping caffa. They all looked up when Brinna entered the room and she handed her mug to Mission before gracing them all with a low bow.

"Mission tells me you all intend to worship me now that I am a Jedi. You may commence," she told them, in a magnanimous tone of voice.

"Jedi or no, I don't think you should expect me to be worshipping you anytime soon," Canderous told her, grinning crookedly.

"Oh come on, Mandalorian. You're not fooling me. I know you already do worship me," Brinna told him breezily.

Bastila and Carth gaped at her and she winked at both of them before turning and heading for the food replicator to claim her own breakfast. She brought her plate to the table and seated herself between Mission and Zaalbar.

"We should leave to explore the ruins as soon as possible," Bastila told her, somehow managing to look like a queen as she sipped her caffa.

Brinna shook her head and swallowed a mouthful of food before replying. "Not just yet. I promised the Masters I'd do what I could about that Matale/Sandral mess, remember? I'm going to go see Ahlan Matale and Nurik Sandral first thing and hopefully resolve their problems. Once that's finished, I intend to look into the rumors Master Zhar has heard about lightsaber crystals here. The ruins may have to wait until tomorrow."

Bastila pressed her lips together in a thin line but didn't say anything more. Brinna sensed her disapproval and could almost read Bastila's negative thoughts through the bond that they shared.

"You're really going to bother trying to settle that petty little feud?" Canderous griped. "Can't you think of anything to do that's more worthy of a warrior?"

"Don't worry about it, Canderous. I wasn't planning on taking you with me anyway," Brinna said brightly. "I thought I'd bring Carth and Mission with me to settle that 'petty little feud', as you called it."

Instantly, Brinna sensed that Bastila was about to protest her choice of companions and Brinna stopped her before she could even say anything by adding, "Bastila, I thought maybe you would be so good as to search the archives to see if you can learn anything about the ruins here. We wouldn't want to go running off into them unprepared. Who knows what we may find in there."

Bastila nodded curtly and immediately left the ship.

"And what are we supposed to do?" Canderous asked, indicating Zaalbar and himself.

"Oh, I don't know. Go see if you can find more Mandalorians. Train kath hounds for the galactic circus," she suggested. Canderous glowered at her and she sighed. "Look, Canderous, let's face it, you're not exactly known for your tact. And no offense to Zaalbar, but not everyone in the galaxy responds very well to Wookies. A Republic soldier and a Twi'lek, on the other hand, will be much more promising companions to a Jedi who is attempting to negotiate a peace between two warring families."

Canderous made a sour face but didn't argue with her any further and Zaalbar quietly growled his agreement with her words.

"Carth, Mission, let's go," Brinna said, pushing her plate aside and rising from the table.

_Today is going to be a good day_, Brinna told herself with a sense of satisfaction as she watched Carth and Mission suit up. It looked like she might get through the day with a minimum of death and destruction and she was going out on a mission with her two favorite people. Things were looking up.

On their way out to the Matale estate, Brinna, Mission, and Carth ran into a woman named Elise who was extremely distraught over the disappearance of her companion. At first, Brinna thought she was speaking of her husband or lover, so when Elise mentioned that her companion was a droid, Brinna gaped at her in amazement. She exchanged a quick look with Mission and Carth, both of whom looked at her with raised eyebrows and Brinna did her best to suppress her smile as she questioned Elise a bit further.

"Wow, she really misses her droid, doesn't she?" Carth said in a quiet aside to Mission and Brinna.

Mission snickered but Brinna was thankfully able to maintain a straight face as she promised Elise that she'd keep an eye out for the droid.

"I never knew the life of a Jedi was so exciting," Mission commented as they continued on their way. "Settling petty feuds, hunting down missing droids…"

"It's a difficult but glamorous life," Brinna told her, smiling.

They quickly learned, however, just how serious the "petty" feud between the Matales and Sandrals was. Their first stop was Ahlan Matale's estate, where he ranted and raved about how the Sandrals had tried to ruin him from the day they had settled on Dantooine and how they were responsible for the disappearance of his son, Shen, whom Ahlan believed Nurik Sandral had kidnapped in retaliation for the disappearance of his own son, Casus.

Brinna's mood quickly sobered as she listened to the man. She could now see why the Council had been so concerned; the two families each owned large estates and if they were to war with one another, the effect would likely be devastating to the other settlers as well.

She could feel Carth's dislike for the man as Carth sarcastically told Ahlan Matale that it seemed everyone was responsible for Ahlan's misfortunes except for Ahlan himself. Ahlan sneered at Carth and ignored him, turning to look at Brinna expectantly. She told him of her intention to speak to Nurik Sandral, but the man still was not satisfied. He then offered her a bribe and Brinna felt herself bristle as she told him that a Jedi could not be bought and that she would remain impartial. Ahlan didn't seem too impressed with her words and he dismissed them without ceremony, disappearing once more into his estate in the company of a battery of his battle droids.

"Well, settling this ought to be all kinds of fun," Brinna said sarcastically.

Carth shook his head. "I just hope Ahlan Matale is wrong about Nurik Sandral kidnapping his son. It seems like those two are already at each other's throats. What will happen if it turns out that Shen was kidnapped?"

Brinna looked at the Matale estate with a grim expression. "Let's hope we won't have to find out."

The three set off toward the Sandral estate. As they jogged across the plains just east of the Matale estate, Brinna noticed something strange. Several kath hounds were clustered together but Brinna couldn't see what they were after, as the tall grass concealed their object from her view.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she told Carth and Mission, indicating the group of kath hounds.

"Just don't…" Carth began to say, but Brinna used the Force to help her leap over to the group of kath hounds and didn't hear the end of his statement.

Landing lightly on her feet, Brinna had just enough time to see that the kath hounds were all clustered around a body. Though she didn't have time to study it, she had enough time to note that there was no hope for whoever the person had once been. The kath hounds had already eviscerated the body and all that was left was part of the person's torso and an assortment of broken bones.

Naturally, the kath hounds were attracted by the prospect of fresh meat and they turned their attention on Brinna. She danced and dodged her way around them, whirling and swinging out with her lightsabers, hitting the beasts with deadly accuracy. A moment later, Carth joined her, vibroblades blazing, and Brinna could hear Mission shouting as she began firing.

After a few minutes, the fight was over and Brinna used her Force abilities to heal the bite wounds that she and Carth had suffered. Fortunately, none of the kath hounds had gone after Mission and she was uninjured. Brinna was very relieved by this. Though it seemed that no matter where she went or what she did, she was destined to run into combat, Brinna had been hoping that this day would pass with a minimum of fighting and, subsequently, a minimum amount of danger for Mission. She would never tell the Twi'lek the truth, but Brinna was determined to do her best to keep Mission out of combat situations.

Mission joined the two of them, looking at the dismembered body with a grimace. There was an equipment pack lying on the ground and she knelt down and reached for it.

"What were you saying to me before we started fighting these things?" Brinna asked Carth as Mission began to dig through the pack.

"I was about to tell you not to do that leap," Carth said, exasperation clear in his voice. "You are so impetuous, do you know that?"

"Yeah, that's me," Brinna said, with a grin. "I can't help it. It's just such an amazing feeling."

"Yeah, well, keep it up and you're going to get yourself killed," Carth grumbled. "I really hate it when you do that."

Brinna was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice and she couldn't help but blush slightly. He looked suddenly conscious of what he'd said and he turned away from her, putting up the pretense that he was looking out for more kath hounds but Brinna could sense the confused jumble of his emotions.

"Bad news, guys," Mission said, causing them both to jump.

"What did you find?" Brinna asked, turning to Mission and hoping that she neither sounded nor looked as flustered as she felt.

Mission held up a datapad. "It's a journal and it belonged to Casus Sandral."

Brinna felt sick as she looked at what the kath hounds had done to poor Casus. "Well, at least Nurik Sandral was wrong about Ahlan Matale having kidnapped him," she said grimly.

Carth sighed. "I guess we'd better go deliver the bad news," he said.

"Wonderful. And I thought this day was going to be easy," Brinna said.

"When is a day with you ever easy?" Mission asked her.

"Right," Brinna sighed, holding her hand out for the datapad. "Did you find anything else useful?"

"Yeah," Mission said, handing Brinna some gear.

Looking through it quickly, Brinna extracted a Verpine headband like the one she wore and tossed it over to Carth. She stowed the rest of the gear away in her pack.

"Aw, isn't that cute? You match," Mission said in a sickly-sweet voice as Carth put the headband on. He made a face and started heading south.

"Don't make me Force trip you," Brinna muttered to Mission, in a threatening tone.

"What?" Mission asked, her face the perfect picture of innocence.

Brinna lifted her hand menacingly and Mission scampered off in Carth's direction. Shaking her head with a wry smile, Brinna followed the two of them.

They made it to the Sandral estate without further incident. Unlike Ahlan, they were welcomed by Nurik into his home. Brinna broke the news of his son's death to him as gently as she could and he asked her for the diary. She handed it over to him and he disappeared into another room, asking them to leave him to his grief. While Brinna sympathized with him, she also had no intention of leaving without questioning him about Shen.

Just as she was about to tell one of the droids to go fetch its master for her, a young woman came into the room and began to beg them not to judge her father. Confused, Brinna asked who she was and learned that the woman was Rahasia, Nurik's daughter. Brinna knew that Rahasia was speaking so cryptically because she knew something about Shen and she questioned the girl further. Finally, Rahasia told them that her father had indeed kidnapped Shen and that he was being held in the estate. She gave them a key to the side door of the estate and begged them to hurry and rescue Shen before her father did something terrible.

Brinna knew that there was more to the story than she had been told up to this point and she gently asked Rahasia why she cared about what happened to Shen. Rahasia told them that she and Shen had fallen in love and that her brother Casus had even come to like Shen. She told them of the feud between their families. Even though the Matales were not responsible for her brother, Rahasia was terrified that her father would blame them just the same and try to exact vengeance against them by harming Shen. Alarmed and filled with compassion for the plight of the two young people, Brinna promised to rescue Shen and took the key from a grateful Rahasia.

They got into the estate without incident and made their way through it as quickly as was possible, considering their many run-ins with the Sandral droids. When they found Shen, Brinna was impatient to get out of the estate but he refused to leave without Rahasia because he was afraid of what her father would do to her if he discovered the part she'd played in Shen's rescue. Brinna then had to run through the estate looking for Rahasia. Fortunately, the young woman agreed to meet them outside and Brinna and company returned to Shen, who finally agreed to leave.

Once they were outside, Brinna felt all of her impatience melt away as she witnessed the fond greeting between the two young lovers. They embraced almost desperately and then thanked her, Carth, and Mission profusely for having helped them. Brinna had just suggested that they'd best move when Shen and Rahasia suddenly froze. Turning her head, Brinna saw Ahlan Matale approaching the estate, accompanied by a pair of armed droids. She then turned to look in the opposite direction and saw Nurik Sandral exiting his estate with armed droids of his own.

"So much for a quick escape," Brinna sighed to Carth and Mission.

Though Carth stood with his weapons casually at his side, Brinna could see from the tension in his face that he was ready to use them on a split-second notice. Likewise, Mission kept her fingers on the triggers of her blasters, though she had such a casual expression on her face it looked as though she was merely out for a stroll.

As Nurik Sandral and Ahlan Matale confronted each other and their children, Brinna felt her annoyance blossom once again. The two men were using their children like bargaining chips and it was plain to see that neither had any regard for the feelings their children held for one another.

Brinna took a deep breath, willing herself to be calm, and then turned on the charm. Somehow she managed to reconcile Nurik and Ahlan to the idea that their children were in love and even managed to convince the fathers that they should buy an estate for them as a wedding gift. Her performance was so stellar that she amazed herself and a broad smile spread over her face as Shen and Rahasia reacted joyfully.

"I'm a sucker for two kids in love," Brinna murmured to a smiling Carth.

"Amazing," he said, shaking his head.

Mission was grinning as well and she gave Brinna a thumbs-up.

"That turned out so well I feel like anything is possible today," Brinna told Mission and Carth as they finally left behind the grateful Shen and Rahasia, who had enthusiastically invited them to their wedding. "Even finding those lightsaber crystals that Master Zhar mentioned."

"You did a good thing back there," Carth told her quietly, as Mission ran ahead to scout out the area before them.

Brinna hesitated for the moment, trying to decide whether or not she dared question Carth. As they were leaving, he had said something really beautiful to Shen about how he hoped that Shen would find the happiness Carth had once known. But as she looked at him, Brinna sensed that he'd said what he had unconsciously and that he was not likely to respond well if she asked him what he'd meant by his comment.

"Thanks," she finally said. If he thought the pause before her reply was strange, he said nothing about it.

_He hopes Shen finds the happiness he once knew… Had he been married?_

She didn't find it hard to believe that he might have been. Surely she was not the first woman to have noticed how attractive he was and she doubted that she was the first woman to have found his personality appealing as well. Hell, if she could be attracted to him in spite of her being the object of his paranoia, he would have to be positively irresistible to a woman whom he didn't constantly regard as an object of suspicion and mistrust.

_Whoa, wait,_ she thought. _Attracted to him?_

_Idiot!_ she told herself.

Of course she was attracted to him and it was probably high time that she admitted it. Mission knew it, so Zaalbar undoubtedly knew as well. Canderous probably knew it. Even Bastila—cold and unfeeling as Brinna thought her—seemed to have noticed that there was something a little more than friendship there. It was high time that Brinna admitted it to herself.

_Why him of all men?_ she wondered, studying him as he raced ahead to catch up with Mission. _It's not complicated enough that I'm an old Padawan hanging out with a Jedi ice princess, a bloodthirsty Mandalorian, a morose walking carpet, an overly mature Twi'lek kid, and an indecipherable droid. I had to go and become attracted to a paranoid, untrusting Republic star pilot with a thirst for vengeance. Exploring those ruins is going to be a walk in the park compared to all that!_

Yet, it wasn't hard for her to understand why she found Carth as attractive as she did. Physically, she could not deny that he had many, many attributes. She loved his deep brown eyes and it hurt her to see them filled with pain, as they so often were. Her fingers itched to run through that thick head of dark hair of his, to push those stubborn strands away from his forehead. More than once she had found herself studying the way the light brought out the auburn highlights in his hair. More than once she had wondered what his hair would feel like. The light stubble on his face was almost irresistibly sexy to her and she thought he had the most perfect nose she had ever seen. Best of all, though was his smile, the way it made the corners of his sensual mouth turn up…

She blushed slightly as her thoughts wandered and she had to shake her head to clear it. Though her physical attraction to him was strong, the mental attraction she felt for him was even stronger. She loved his dry, sarcastic sense of humor, so like her own. Whenever they playfully argued with one another or exchanged insults she could feel her blood quicken and a smile spread over her face. Moreover, she loved his goodness, his sense of decency, the many kindnesses he had shown to the unfortunates they'd encountered thus far in their travels. When she was with him, she felt happy, safe, warm…as if she'd found a spirit akin to her own.

_Why are you torturing yourself like this? You know it can't go anywhere with him, even if he wanted it to, which he doesn't._

The thought made her sad because she was convinced it was true. Even though she'd managed to break through some of his barriers, even though he seemed to enjoy her company, Brinna knew that Carth had his heart locked away and she was positive that she would never be able to touch it.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Mission cried, jolting Brinna out of her melancholy thoughts.

"Coming!" she replied, jogging to catch up with her companions.

Carth looked at her questioningly and though she tried to smile, she had a feeling that it was tinged with something of the sadness, something of the disappointment she felt. She didn't look at him long enough to see if he'd noticed it, though.

Fortunately for her, a distraction soon presented itself in the form of a Twi'lek Jedi who was standing on the middle of a bridge that spanned a small stream. He greeted her and told her that his name was Bolook and that the Council had sent him to investigate a murder. He asked her for her help and she couldn't help but wonder if this was yet another test of her abilities. She agreed to help him and he led her across the stream to where the body lay. The two suspects were standing there under the watchful eye of one of the enclave's droids. One of them looked surly while the other had a pleasant expression on his face and fairly exuded a wish to be of service.

Once Bolook had given Brinna the particulars of the case, she began questioning the two suspects and asking the enclave's droid for help with scientific evidence. By listening carefully to what each man said, Brinna was able to pick up on the small lies that each told and she added all of the evidence together until she presented Bolook with her verdict: both men were guilty of the crime.

She was right and Bolook placed both of the men under arrest. He praised Brinna for her perspicacity but Brinna was even more pleased by Carth's praise, as he told her that it looked like she'd make a proper Jedi after all.

From there, they made their way across the plains and stumbled upon Elise's droid, who was being attacked by kath hounds. Brinna was bowled over when the droid thanked her for saving him from the kath hounds but then confessed that he had purposely sought them out.

Brinna couldn't help but sneak a look at Carth as the droid told them about his fears that Elise was becoming too insular. At first, both she and Carth had been bewildered but also a little perversely amused by the relationship that existed between Elise and her droid. Now, however, after listening to the droid, Brinna understood the seriousness of the situation and she couldn't help but feel badly for having laughed at Elise. The droid begged Brinna to destroy him and though she was not keen on the idea, she agreed and he thanked her profusely. She closed her eyes and turned her head as she delivered the devastating blow and then turned away from the wreckage of the droid.

"Are you okay?" Carth asked softly.

"I'm fine," Brinna sighed. "I just hated to destroy that droid but I think he was right; I think it was the best thing for Elise."

Carth nodded grimly and his gaze shifted past Brinna. He furrowed his brow and she looked at him questioningly.

"Is that a cave?" he asked, pointing.

Turning, she looked in the direction toward which he was pointing and she too saw what looked like the opening to a cave. She moved closer to the black hole and peered inside but to no avail. It was impossible to see more than a meter or two into the tunnel before it was lost in blackness.

"Let me guess; we're going in there, aren't we?" Mission sighed.

"Well, we really should take a look," Brinna said casually, turning to grin at the Twi'lek.

"Sometimes I think you have a death wish," Mission sighed, as she hoisted her blasters from her sides, bringing them up in a defensive position.

Brinna grinned once more before taking a deep breath and plunging into the cave. Carth followed her immediately and she found that his solid presence made her feel a lot more secure. She could hear Mission grumbling under her breath as she brought up the rear.

The inside of the cave was dimly lit but visibility was reasonably good. Brinna followed the slightly winding tunnel that led through the gray stone walls and did her best to breathe through her mouth rather than her nose. The cave was dank and stank of mildew but there was another sourer and more unpleasant odor underneath that she could not identify. After a few more steps, she heard a scrabbling noise ahead of her and she lifted her lightsabers, certain she was about to find out just what was causing that smell.

Sure enough, as they came around the next bend, they were set upon by a trio of kinrath. Brinna made a face as the beasts rushed toward them. If there was anything she really hated, it was kinrath. She was unfortunately reminded why she hated them so much as she didn't duck quite quickly enough and she felt one of the kinrath's razor-sharp stingers graze the side of her neck. She gasped at the feeling of her skin splitting open and gritted her teeth at the wave of nausea that followed it, caused by the poison that the creature had deposited into her bloodstream.

Suddenly, Carth was beside her, the two of them beating the beasts back, hacking away limbs before they could be used to poison anyone else. Mission was shouting and the sound of her shouts coupled with the shots from her blasters reverberated through the cave and added a pounding headache to Brinna's lists of woes. When the kinrath were finally dead, Carth took one look at Brinna's neck and immediately injected her with an antidote kit.

"Thank you," she said, feeling relief as the antidote cleared the poison from her veins. She quickly called upon the Force to heal the three of them and then pressed forward.

The caves were infested with kinrath, as they quickly found out, and antidote kits soon became a dire necessity. They fought their way through the tunnel and finally reached a rounded room at the end. There wasn't much time to look around as they were immediately beset by several kinrath. When the fight was finally over, a thick, noxious stench hung in the air but it was immediately forgotten when Brinna saw what was within the room.

"Crystals!" she exclaimed, walking over to a formation and gently dislodging a pale greenish crystal. It seemed to pulse faintly with energy and Brinna felt a rush of excitement. The rumors Master Zhar had heard held water after all; Dantooine was home to a pretty sizeable collection of lightsaber crystals.

Carth and Mission soon joined her and helped gather the crystals. As they handed them over to her, she felt a burst of impatience. She could hardly wait to get back to the workbench in the Ebon Hawk so that she could start modifying her lightsaber.

"That's the last of them," Mission said, her voice echoing around the room.

"See? My curiosity paid off," Brinna told Mission, a bit smugly.

Mission rolled her eyes. "This time it did. Who knows what will happen in the future."

"You can say whatever you want," Brinna said, with a smile. "At the moment, I couldn't care less. These crystals are very valuable and I'm going to put them to good use."

"As much as I enjoy standing around in a chamber full of dead kinrath, we should probably get going. It's getting late," Carth said, with a glance at his chrono.

"Please. It smells worse than the Taris sewers in here," Mission said with a grimace. Pain flashed briefly in her eyes as she realized what she'd said and Brinna laid a consoling hand on her arm. Carth's lips tightened and he turned away. Brinna knew he was thinking of his missed opportunity with Saul Karath.

"Come on," Brinna said quietly, setting out through the tunnel.

No one said much as they made their way back. Dusk was falling fast and they could hear kath hounds howling in the distance. Fortunately, though, they only had to stop a couple of times to fight the beasts before they reached the enclave.

When they reached Elise, Brinna did her best to break the news gently but the other woman was inconsolable and rushed off toward the enclave in a flood of tears. Brinna felt awful.

"It was for her own good," Mission said firmly, patting Brinna's shoulder.

"I know," Brinna said, with a sigh.

"Think of the poor droid," Carth said, his mouth quirking at the corner.

"Carth!" Brinna exclaimed, shocked. "How can you poke fun at her like that?"

"Wait, wait," he said, holding his hands up. "I'm not such a bad guy! I feel sorry for her, really I do. It's just that her droid was so pathetic."

Brinna smiled in spite of herself. "He really was, wasn't he?" Her expression turned sober as she looked off in the direction toward which Elise had fled. "She'll get over it in time. You're right, Mission, it was the best thing for her. As long as that droid was around, she was going to hang onto the image of her husband rather than moving on with her life. It wasn't good for her."

Was it her imagination or did Carth look rather conscious at her words?

The others were already onboard the Ebon Hawk when Brinna, Carth, and Mission returned. Brinna stopped for a moment to speak to Bastila and was disappointed but not entirely surprised to find that the other Jedi's search had not turned up any useful information about the ruins. She showed Bastila the crystals they had discovered in the cave and the other Jedi's stern gaze softened just slightly.

"Perhaps your time was not so poorly spent after all," Bastila said to her.

"Watch out, Bastila. You keep praising me like that and you just might get used to it," Brinna told her, trying to maintain her patience.

Bastila frowned at her. "Were you able to resolve the problems between the Sandrals and the Matales?"

The thought of their success brought a smile to Brinna's face and she told Bastila the whole story. When she was finished, she could see that Bastila approved of what they had done, although she merely acknowledged what had been done rather than congratulating Brinna, Carth, and Mission on their success. Brinna snuck a peek at Mission, who rolled her eyes and shook her head before disappearing into the equipment room.

"We'll search the ruins first thing tomorrow," Brinna told Bastila.

The other Jedi nodded curtly and then turned and walked toward the bunkroom. Brinna could sense that Bastila intended to meditate and she knew that she was, as always, the cause of Bastila's discomposure.


	13. The Quest Begins

Brinna woke up early the next morning, much to Bastila's surprise—and, truth be told, much to Brinna's own surprise. After her tiff with Carth in the cockpit, Brinna had spent some time angrily pacing the cargo hold before she finally felt calm enough to go to her bunk and attempt to sleep. When she had walked into the bunkroom, Brinna had known that Bastila was about to say something disapproving to her and Brinna channeled her energy into fiercely and none too politely telling Bastila via their bond to leave her be. Brinna had felt Bastila's astonishment at the vehemence of the warning and then she had sensed a withdrawal as Bastila closed herself off to Brinna and their bond. That was fine with Brinna; she didn't like Bastila in her head anyway.

"You and Carth had another fight, didn't you?" Mission asked her as she dressed and clipped her lightsabers to her belt.

"I'm done, Mission," Brinna said tiredly.

Mission gave her a skeptical look and Brinna was annoyed.

"I'm serious about that. He's made it clear to me that he doesn't like me trying to learn more about him so I'm not going to try anymore. To hell with him. I have other things to worry about."

"If that's what you think is best," Mission told her and Brinna could hear the doubt in her voice.

Without saying another word to Mission, Brinna left the bunkroom and headed for the common room. She had meant what she had said to Mission. The truth was that her nerves felt like they were scraped raw. Her compassion had made her foolish on many occasions and she was now convinced that this was yet another. It was time for her to focus on what was really important: her mission.

The only person in the common room was Canderous and Brinna was relieved. At least she knew what to expect from the Mandalorian. He had little use for feelings so there was no sort of inner turmoil pent up inside of him, for which Brinna was very glad. She needed to be around someone who was not so complex, someone whose motives she understood and who said exactly what he felt without compunction.

"Aren't you the early riser today," Canderous said. He was pouring himself a mug of caffa but he handed it to Brinna instead and then poured a second mug for himself. "Princess must have put the fear of death in you."

Brinna snorted. "Do you really think me that weak?"

Canderous grinned at her. "Of course not. Actually, I think you're up already because you just didn't want to listen to her nagging you again."

She didn't give him a direct answer to the question but he could read her well enough to know what it was and he let out a low chuckle.

"You delight in dissension amongst the ranks of the Jedi, don't you?" Brinna accused him, unable to suppress a smile of her own.

He nodded his agreement.

"I suppose I should allow you that much. After all, for all your disdain of the Jedi, they certainly made short work of you during the war," she taunted him.

"Why don't we go outside and you can say that to me again," Canderous challenged.

Brinna waved a hand impatiently. "I may have further need of you, Mandalorian. No sense in killing you just yet."

Canderous chuckled again and handed her a plate of food. She carried it over to the table and sat down and he followed her shortly.

"Will I be cooling my heels again today?" he asked her.

"Sorry, Canderous, but yeah. I have to take Bastila with me to the ruins and Carth's already in a twist so I'll have to take him along too. However, I promise that the next time I need to run around killing things you'll be my first choice."

"How touching," he said sarcastically, taking a long pull of his caffa.

"Nothing pleases me more than being nice to you," she said sweetly, patting his arm.

Carth walked in just in time to catch the interaction between them and Brinna did not fail to notice the quick frown that crossed his face. She felt a petty flash of satisfaction that she'd succeeded in provoking his displeasure.

"Well, isn't this cozy," Canderous said, taking a casual bite of his food. "A Jedi, a Mandalorian warrior, and a Republic soldier having breakfast." He placed an undue amount of emphasis on the word "soldier," earning himself a glare from Carth.

"That sounds like the start of a really bad joke," Mission said, walking into the room with Zaalbar in tow.

"Mission, why don't you try swindling a few credits out of Canderous today? Maybe a little Pazaak will keep him busy," Brinna suggested.

"I'd like to see her try," Canderous said smugly.

"I wouldn't underestimate her if I were you," Brinna told him. "She's very sneaky."

"I'll be glad to prove it to him," Mission said.

"You're on," Canderous told her, reaching across the table to give her hand a quick shake. "But your little pet droid better not be anywhere near the table."

Mission scowled and Brinna couldn't help but smile. It seemed her suspicions about T3's presence had been right on the mark. At any rate, she was glad that Canderous and Mission would be spending some time together. While Brinna wouldn't exactly suggest to Mission that she should look up to Canderous as a role model, she was glad that the Mandalorian would be around to keep an eye on the young Twi'lek. She was secure in the belief that he would be able to keep her out of any trouble.

Bastila joined them, shooting Brinna an icy look as she carried her plate and mug over to the table. Brinna smiled lazily at her and let her know via their bond that Brinna's affairs were none of Bastila's business. Bastila stonily informed her that anything affecting their mission was her business. Now Brinna was mad. She told Bastila in no uncertain terms that what was happening with Carth was not affecting their mission in any way, shape or form. For once, Bastila was smart enough to keep any further opinions on the matter to herself.

Breakfast was something of a tense affair. Brinna was giving Carth the cold shoulder and the tension between her and Bastila was nearly palpable. Carth kept shooting dirty looks at Canderous, who met them with an insolent smile. Mission and Zaalbar kept their attention determinedly fixed on their plates.

When they were finished eating, Brinna looked briefly at Carth, giving him a terse nod that told him he was to come with her and Bastila. Though she was angry with him, she felt that she owed it to him to bring him along on the exploration of the ruins. She was sure he was impatient to return to the fleet and she felt responsible for his continued presence on Dantooine. He had saved her life on Taris and for that she figured she at least owed him the courtesy of bringing him along on what looked to be an important mission.

It didn't take long for the three of them to reach the ruins. There was something foreboding about the place and it raised gooseflesh on Brinna's arms. As she approached the door, she felt very strange. It was exactly as she'd seen it in her dreams, giving her the unnerving sense that she'd already opened it once. She could feel the dark side of the Force thrumming through the ruins and it called to her, trying to beckon her to surrender to its insidious embrace.

"I can't believe they sent Nemo here alone," Brinna said quietly. "The Council underestimated the power of this place."

"They are not infallible," Bastila said, startling Brinna. Brinna had never before heard her say anything less than positive about the Council and she turned to study Bastila with a surprised expression.

"No one is infallible," Bastila replied, almost defiantly.

"Let's get this over with," Brinna said, turning back to the door and opening it.

They stepped inside, their feet kicking up small clouds of dust as they moved. The atmosphere was heavy and so laden with the dark side that Brinna could see even Carth was affected by it. They stepped through another door and came upon a droid that promptly began speaking to them in an unrecognizable language. None of them understood it and when Brinna expressed that to the droid, it switched to an antiquated form of the Selkath language, which both Brinna and Bastila understood.

The droid then launched into a long and confusing narrative about the Builders, the Star Maps, and something called the Star Forge. Though Brinna tried probing the droid for more information, it soon became clear to them that it had been programmed with a limited amount of information and it could not offer her any detailed information about the Star Forge. Brinna was disappointed because as soon as the droid had mentioned the Star Forge, she had instantly known that it was what Malak and Revan had been seeking when they had visited the ruins four years ago.

Brinna asked the droid how someone could gain access to the Star Map and the droid told her that she would have to prove herself worthy. For the first time, Brinna noticed a body lying next to the droid. It was horribly still and Brinna knew that Nemo had rejoined the Force. She only hoped she would not soon be following him.

When they had obtained all the information they possibly could from the droid, Brinna turned and led them into a room to the east of the droid. They were immediately attacked by another droid and the three of them sprang into action.

The droid was unlike any Brinna had ever seen. Though it was fashioned from ancient technology, it was far more powerful than most modern droids Brinna had encountered. Whoever the Builder race had been, they had been possessed of phenomenal intelligence and amazing technological prowess.

After a rather prolonged battle, the droid lay in smoking ruin. There was a computer console at the back of the room and Brinna immediately headed toward it, ignoring the pain from her wounds. Bastila used the Force to heal the three of them as Brinna reached the machine.

The language on the screen was unintelligible and Brinna stood there for a moment trying to decide what to do. Finally, she shrugged and spoke to the machine. Carth and Bastila stared at her with strange looks but it worked; the screen changed but it was still unintelligible. Brinna could see a slot at the bottom of the machine and she dug her datapad out of her pack and plugged it into the receptacle.

Once more the screen changed but this time the words were in Basic and Brinna could understand what they said. It seemed to be some sort of riddle that was easily enough solved. When she was finished, the screen flashed and then a message appeared noting that one of the seals had been broken.

"Looks like a good sign to me," Brinna said, retrieving her datapad. "Let's head to the west room. And this time let's be prepared for attack."

They moved over to the western room and, sure enough, they were attacked by another droid. This time they were prepared, though, and it didn't take as long for them to destroy the droid. Once again, Brinna headed for the computer console as Bastila healed them. Brinna followed the same procedure she had with the machine in the eastern room and another riddle appeared. She answered the riddle swiftly and was rewarded with a message telling her that the other seal had been broken. From the central room they heard the sound of a door unlocking.

"Well done," Bastila complimented Brinna.

Brinna nodded in acknowledgement and they returned to the central room, where the droid informed them that they had proven themselves worthy of entering the last room in the ruins, the room where the Star Map lay. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at this redundant piece of information but she didn't say anything as she led Carth and Bastila to the last door.

Fortunately, there was no attack droid awaiting them on the other side of the door. Instead, there was a structure that was familiar to both Brinna and Bastila, who'd already seen it once in a dream. They exchanged a look before approaching the structure and, just as in the dream, it opened up, a black orb rising from its center and whirling in a dizzying orbit before beams of light extended outward, forming the Star Map.

It was strangely beautiful to behold and the three of them stood staring silently at it for a moment. Brinna was transfixed as she picked out familiar planets and systems on the map. She spotted Deralia and felt a wave of emotion that she quickly pushed aside. Bastila was picking out planets as well and Brinna focused her attention on the other Jedi.

She quickly saw what Bastila saw; the map was incomplete. Though it showed most of the galaxy, there were key pieces of information missing, pieces that most likely revealed the whereabouts of the mysterious Star Forge. Bastila picked out Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Korriban, and Manaan on the Star Map and commented that Malak and Revan had been known to visit those worlds. She speculated that they might be able to find other Star Maps on those planets. Carth was skeptical but, for perhaps the first time, Brinna found herself agreeing with Bastila. Bastila was anxious to report their findings to the Council and Brinna agreed that they should head for the Council chambers immediately.

They made swift progress back to the enclave but before they entered, Bastila paused and looked at Brinna with an appraising glance. Brinna raised her eyebrows and Bastila asked if she could pose a few questions to Brinna. Warily, Brinna agreed to the exercise expecting a serious grilling but, to her confusion and surprise, Bastila merely asked her a bunch of mundane questions. Brinna answered them honestly but when Bastila asked about her age, she grew impatient and told Bastila that she was sure Bastila had already found that information in her service record. Bastila then proceeded to tell her that the questions had been part of a test that had allowed her to ascertain that Brinna was honest and that she took the questions seriously, which she took as a good sign. Brinna stared at the other Jedi in disbelief and then in consternation as Bastila announced that she was not happy to be linked with Brinna, to share a bond with her that allowed them glimpses into one another's minds. Sarcastically, Brinna thanked Bastila and then took a jab at her by asking Bastila why she was so preachy.


	14. An Inauspicious Homecoming

The Star Map stood open before her, its light casting an eerie bluish glow into the shadows. The scene was primitive, tangles of vines winding up tree trunks of impossible girth, undergrowth so thick that a full grown rancor could be completely concealed behind it…

Brinna awoke with a start and immediately leapt from her bunk, hastily pulling on her Jedi robes before hurrying up to the cockpit. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carth start at her hasty entrance but her gaze was focused on Bastila, who looked pale and wore a smile so tight that it was almost a grimace. One look at her confirmed what Brinna had already suspected; they had once again shared a vision.

"It looked like the Star Map was on the forest floor," she told Bastila.

Bastila nodded and told Brinna what she knew of Kashyyyk. It was really nothing that Brinna didn't already know but she was so shaken by sharing yet another vision with Bastila that she didn't say anything.

After a few moments of silence, Brinna finally gave in and prompted Bastila to go ahead and tell her whatever it was Bastila was itching to say. Brinna tried her best to maintain her patience as Bastila launched into another lengthy lecture about the dark side. She knew that Bastila was just trying to help her but Brinna wished that Bastila would find another way of going about it. Even her own mother had not lectured her half as much as Bastila already had.

She was jolted out of her wandering thoughts as Bastila began to talk of the fallen Jedi. There was some bitterness in her voice and Brinna knew that their betrayal cut Bastila deeply.

"What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause?" Bastila asked.

Brinna had no response for that. She felt some sympathy for Bastila. If there was one thing that could be said for Bastila, it was that in spite of how cold she was, at least she wasn't all paranoid and mistrusting like Carth. Bastila had seen people she deeply respected fall but she still seemed to believe that there was hope for humanity, unlike Carth.

"We'll be landing in five minutes," Carth said quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the room.

"Right. I'll go make sure Zaalbar's awake. Carth, be ready to go in half an hour," Brinna said, turning on her heel and hurrying out of the cockpit.

The visions were starting to get to her and the bond between her and Bastila allowed her to ascertain that they were getting to Bastila as well. What possible reason could there be for her having them? She'd been to Tatooine and Manaan a couple of times on scouting missions but she'd never been to Kashyyyk or Korriban before. Yet she was having dreams about Kashyyyk, about where the Star Map could be found. How was this possible? How could she dream about so many things she'd never witnessed? She fervently wished that she could stop the dreams. They were making her feel as if she had no control over her own mind and the sensation was nearly driving her crazy. She fingered her necklace in an attempt to calm herself but the familiar gesture was of little consolation at the present moment.

Zaalbar was in the common room with the rest of the bunch. They all looked up at Brinna as she entered the room, all of them staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh nothing. Except that you flew through this room without seeing a single one of us, even though you passed within centimeters of Juhani," Mission told her.

"I did?" Brinna asked, truly astonished.

"Yeah. Are you feeling all right?"

"Bastila and I had another vision," she said, wearily accepting the mug of caffa that Mission brought to her. The Twi'lek's expression was one of deep concern.

"You and Bastila are sharing visions?" Juhani asked.

"Yes," Brinna sighed, taking a sip from her mug. "The Council said that we have a bond. No one seems to know exactly why this is but in addition to this bond, the Force is bringing us shared visions."

"The Force works in mysterious ways," Juhani remarked. She lowered her eyes and added, "I know that perhaps better than most."

Brinna sat down at the table and blew out a breath. "I'm not used to the Force working through me. A couple of months ago, I was just a scout. Anyway, that's not important right now. Zaalbar, we're about to land and I want you to suit up when you're finished. None of us knows this planet as well as you."

"As you wish," Zaalbar told her.

She could sense the Wookie's uneasiness and she remembered Mission telling her that Zaalbar had been forced to leave Kashyyyk, although he had never told her why. Brinna could only hope that whatever had forced him to flee his home world would not affect the success of their mission.

Carth came into the room for some breakfast and caffa. He tried to cast surreptitious glances Brinna's way but she could sense each and every time he looked at her. He seemed surprised that she had asked him to accompany her and she was a little surprised by this herself. She had intended to take Canderous along instead but, somehow, she found that she just couldn't leave Carth behind. In spite of her current anger with him, she felt safe when he was with her. Moreover, this whole quest had started with the two of them pooling their skills and she was certain it would end the same way. She had come to depend on his judgment and to trust his prowess in battle. They had each picked up on the other's techniques and they fought together as if they'd been doing it for years and years.

_It has nothing to do with your…other feelings about him,_ a mocking voice in her head said. She ignored it.

She ate quickly and left to get her pack, intent on getting the mission started as soon as possible. Before she made it more than a few steps out of the bunkroom, though, Zaalbar stopped her to tell her that he and Mission had noticed something strange. There were some supplies missing and they could not account for their whereabouts. Brinna frowned at this information and told him that she would look into it. She asked him to wait in the loading bay with Carth and said that she'd join them shortly.

Changing direction, she headed for the cargo bay, where she found several half-eaten food packets lying on the ground. Frowning, she picked them up and studied them. They had been neatly torn open and it did not appear that this could have been done by rodents. A strange sound caught her attention and she whirled around but there was nothing behind her. Tossing the food packets aside, she crept as quietly as she could through the Ebon Hawk's corridors.

Several times she heard what sounded like footsteps but every time she turned, there was nothing behind her. Finally, she heard footsteps echoing faintly ahead of her and she full out ran to the cargo bay. What she saw there stopped her completely in her tracks.

A young girl stood before her, studying Brinna with a frightened gaze. She was dressed in a drab tunic and matching pants and her hair was the color of the grasses on Dantooine. Brinna didn't think she could be much older than nine or ten and she wondered how the child had managed to sneak onto the ship without anyone's notice.

Brinna approached the child slowly, holding her hands in plain view so that the girl would know she wasn't concealing anything. She addressed the girl in Basic in a gentle tone of voice but the girl looked confused and when she opened her mouth and spoke, it was in a strange language that sounded vaguely like Mandalorian.

Languages had never been a problem for Brinna and she patiently did her best to communicate with the girl using a combination of gestures and speech. She picked up enough key words to understand that the girl was named Sasha and that she'd been kidnapped by Mandalorians. Sasha mimed being beaten and Brinna understood that Sasha was telling her that she'd been abused by the Mandalorians and that she was afraid of them. Brinna managed to get Sasha to tell her that she'd hidden herself in one of the panels in the cargo bay and that the girl felt the starship was her home. Gently, Brinna explained to her that the starship was not her real home and did her best to explain that Lur Arka Sulas was looking for her on Dantooine. Brinna assured Sasha that she'd be safe and that they'd return her to Dantooine as soon as possible.

Once this information had been communicated, Brinna called Mission into the cargo bay and introduced Sasha to the Twi'lek. She told Sasha that Mission would look after her and Sasha nodded in understanding.

"Keep her away from Canderous," Brinna told Mission in a low voice. "She was captured by Mandalorians and she's deathly afraid of them. I'll let the rest know about Sasha and ask Bastila and Juhani to help you with her. Try to communicate with her as best you can. Bastila knows several languages and she may be able to help you talk to Sasha."

"Don't worry about a thing, I'll look out for her," Mission said fiercely. The determination and protectiveness in Mission's eyes told her that the Twi'lek identified with their stowaway.

"I know you will," Brinna said, squeezing Mission's shoulder and hurrying off to tell Juhani, Canderous, and Bastila of Sasha's presence on the ship.

"What kept you?" Carth asked her when she finally made it to the loading bay.

"We have a stowaway. She escaped from the Mandalorians on Dantooine and hid on the ship. We'll have to take her back once we're finished here," Brinna said tersely. Carth opened his mouth to ask her another question but Brinna cut him off. "Come on, let's go." She sensed his unhappiness as they made their way down the ramp and onto the walkways of Kashyyyk.

Zaalbar's uneasiness was almost palpable and Brinna was on the verge of asking him what was wrong when an Ithorian walked up to them and introduced himself as Janos Wertka. He asked them to follow him to his office as he wanted to speak with them. Every hair on Zaalbar's coat was standing on end and she looked at the Wookie questioningly but it was obvious to her that she wasn't going to get anything out of him at the moment, so she turned to follow the Ithorian.

They hadn't moved more than a few steps when Zaalbar suddenly stopped, looking about him with a haunted expression in his eyes. He alluded to his flight from Kashyyyk but when Brinna tried to prompt him to talk further, he clammed up. All he would say was he hoped that his family troubles wouldn't cause them any problems while they were on planet. Brinna sighed and told him they'd deal with any problems when and if they arose.

Janos Wertka moved very slowly and Brinna's patience was slightly less than limitless on this particular day. She was annoyed that the Ithorian was insisting on dragging them to his office before he'd speak with them and she had the sneaking suspicion that it was because he knew that they wouldn't like what he'd have to say and wanted the protection of the other Czerka employees who'd be in the building. Brinna noticed two men standing in a corner of the walkway at what appeared to be a small shop. She walked over to them as Janos shuffled slowly past.

The shop keep's name was Eli Gand and he introduced them to the other man who was with him. It seemed that Matton Dasol was a mechanic who was working for Eli to pay off a debt incurred when Matton's crew had taken off on him, leaving him high and dry. Matton seemed to find it hard to believe that his crew would simply have abandoned him and there was something so slimy about Eli that Brinna couldn't help but find the whole situation a bit suspect. Even if she'd thought Eli seemed like a fine, upstanding citizen, she still would have been disgusted by the indentured servitude that he had imposed upon Matton. She asked how much debt bought a man's life but Matton very graciously declined to allow her to pay off his debt.

With one last look at Eli, she led Carth and Zaalbar away from the shop and they headed for the Czerka office. As they walked back toward where Janos was waiting, Brinna noticed a half-moon shaped cage on the floor. Zaalbar noticed it too and he let out a low growl that made the other Czerka employees finger their weapons and look at him with undisguised fear and dislike.

Brinna soon came to understand why Janos had insisted on talking in his office; she was, indeed, very angry to hear what he had to say. Though reluctant to talk at first, Brinna persuaded him to tell her about Czerka's operations on Kashyyyk and was disgusted beyond belief to find out that they were running a slaving operation. Even worse, she learned that the Wookie leader, Chuundar, was aiding and abetting Czerka.

At the sound of Chuundar's name, Zaalbar growled and said it was one he hadn't wanted to hear. Brinna asked him why that was but he didn't give her a straight answer. Janos expressed his surprise that Brinna allowed her "thrall" to speak for her and she found herself fingering her own weapons. She informed Janos through gritted teeth that Zaalbar was not her "thrall" and that he followed her because of a life debt. He congratulated her on her success, saying it was hard to fake one of those. His words made Zaalbar furious and the Wookie roared so loudly that the sound reverberated throughout the office.

As much as she would have liked to allow Zaalbar to tear Janos to pieces, Brinna asked him to calm down. There was too much at stake for them to make an enemy of Czerka at this point. Brinna had to find the Star Map but she had also already decided that she was going to see what she could do about Czerka's little slaving operation. For the time being, it would be smart for her to hold her cards close to her chest until she could learn a little more about the political climate of Kashyyyk. Once she had a better feel for just how strong of a hold Chuundar had over the Wookies, she could formulate a plan.

They left the Czerka office, Brinna barely able to conceal her contempt for Janos. They pressed onward down the walkway, which Zaalbar noted that Czerka must have built as it had not been there when he had left his home. True enough, after a short walk, they reached a set of doors guarded by a couple of Czerka guards and some blaster turrets. Once again, Zaalbar was treated like chattel and, once again, Brinna found herself unwillingly having to calm him down. She angrily told the guards she'd paid her docking fee and that they'd better stand aside because she was headed for the Wookie village whether they liked it or not. The guards sneered at her but they let her pass without further incident.

On the other side of the doors, they ran into a situation that almost made Brinna lose her resolve to maintain a low profile for the time being. A Czerka captain and a couple of guards stood around the corpse of a Wookie. One of the guards was worriedly asking how much the Wookie was worth and repeatedly stating that he'd had to put the Wookie down. Brinna knew Zaalbar wanted to rush over and tear the man's throat out and she marveled at the restraint he showed.

"Do your superiors approve of you killing Wookies?" Brinna asked the captain.

He answered her insolently and she allowed herself the indulgence of fantasizing about using her lightsabers to wipe the smirk off his face. With a very concerted effort, she collected herself, smiled in as friendly a manner as she could muster, and told the captain and his men that their post was trouble and that, if they were smart, they'd request a transfer. The captain looked rather flabbergasted by her assertion but she could see that her words had achieved the desired effect and he told his confused underlings that it was time they requested another post.

"I'm sorry, Zaalbar. I can't imagine how hard this must all be for you," Brinna said, as she contemptuously watched the Czerka goons scurry off through the doors.

"What is happening here is an abomination," Zaalbar said in a low growl.

"Yes, it is," Brinna said angrily.

"What kind of person would buy a slave?" Carth asked. Brinna glanced at him and saw that he was gripping his vibroblades so tightly his knuckles were white.

"I'm not going to let this continue," Brinna said matter-of-factly.

Zaalbar and Carth both looked at her.

"You know, if anyone else said something like that, I'd think to myself, 'Right, like you can do anything about it.' But when you say it, I believe it," Carth told her.

She could not help but smile at that and her heart warmed a bit toward him. Her expression turned serious once again as she continued. "It's killing me to not just start kicking butt left and right but I think we need to find out just how much support Chuundar has before we go doing anything rash. The last thing we need is to incite a Wookie and Czerka army against us. But I promise you, Zaalbar, that I am going to look in every corner until I figure out a way to get rid of Czerka."

"And I'll help," Carth said firmly.

"You do my home world a great service," Zaalbar told them both.

Brinna patted his shaggy arm and sighed. "Come on. Let's keep moving."

They continued down the walkway and soon ran into Brinna's favorite creatures, though these kinrath were of the forest variety as opposed to the kinrath they'd encountered on Dantooine.

"I hate these things," Brinna hissed as she activated her lightsabers and started swinging.

Fortunately, through diligent meditation, Brinna had honed her ability to call on the Force to heal her and her companions and she was now able to use the Force to neutralize toxins as well as to heal wounds. Her enhanced abilities came in handy as they fought their way down the walkway and through the forest kinrath.

Suddenly, they saw something that stopped them in their tracks. Three dark Jedi stood on the path before them and they were even uglier than the kinrath.

"Lord Malak was most displeased that you managed to escape Taris," one of them informed her. His voice was low and thundering and Brinna wondered how long he'd had to practice before he felt he'd reached his desired level of menacing evil.

"Lord Malak's going to be most displeased when he finds out that you failed to stop me as well," she told them in a careless tone of voice.

"You'll beg for forgiveness before the end," one of the other dark Jedi said. Apparently he had not yet managed to perfect his evil psycho voice.

"My lightsabers think otherwise," she told them, brandishing her violet blades. She called upon the Force and froze two of the dark Jedi in stasis. The third looked a bit worried but he attacked just the same.

The dark Jedi were strong but not strong enough to defeat Brinna and her war hero and Wookie friends. When the battle was over, Brinna deactivated her sabers and prodded the body of one of the dark Jedi with the toe of her boot, an expression of extreme distaste on her face.

"I take it we can expect similar ambushes on the other planets," she said.

She knelt down and helped herself to the dark Jedis' packs. To her delight, she turned up a couple of lightsabers, some crystals, and some other useful objects.

"Thanks a lot," she said to the dead dark Jedi before she turned her back on them and led Carth and Zaalbar forward.

They didn't make it much further before they were accosted by another Wookie, who was less than pleased to see Zaalbar. Brinna was confused at the exchange until Zaalbar tersely informed her that he was an exile because when he found out about Chuundar's complicity with the Czerka, he had attacked the other Wookie with his claws, dishonoring himself and earning him the title of Madclaw. Even more stunning than that, though, was Zaalbar's revelation that Chuundar was his brother.

_No wonder he was so angry when Janos Wertka mentioned him,_ Brinna thought.

The other Wookie grew impatient with their talk and told them that he was going to take them to Chuundar. He marched the three of them through the Wookie village, every Wookie staring at Zaalbar in blatant amazement and, in some quarters, loathing. They reached the chieftain's home and were ushered inside.

Naturally, Chuundar was less than pleased to see his long-lost brother. They growled menacingly at one another, Zaalbar calling Chuundar a runt and telling him that their father would not stand for his actions and Chuundar dismissing this threat with a careless wave as he scoffed that none of the other Wookies would dare oppose their new chieftain.

Chuundar then informed Brinna that he intended to hold his brother while he sent her out on a little errand for him down in the Shadowlands. Brinna badly wanted to use the Force to knock Chuundar across the room but she patiently informed him that this was an unacceptable arrangement as she would need Zaalbar's help in the Shadowlands. Chuundar laughed at her and told her that she would just have to make her own way; he had no intention of releasing Zaalbar until she took care of a mad Wookie that was harassing the Czerka slavers. Brinna smirked and asked if this "mad" Wookie was perhaps just one of the many who might be willing to oppose their new chieftain. At this point, Chuundar basically told her to get lost and not come back until the problem was taken care of and then he had his guards escort her and Carth out of his dwelling.

"Damn," Brinna said softly once they were out on the walkway. "Mission's going to be devastated. I don't want to leave Zaalbar behind but what can we do? Bringing every Wookie on Kashyyyk down on our heads isn't going to help him any."

"I guess we'll just have to go down into the Shadowlands and find that Wookie," Carth sighed. Brinna knew that he, too, hated to leave Zaalbar behind; after all, he had remained on the disintegrating Endar Spire at his own peril until Brinna had managed to make her way to him and the waiting escape pod.

"It's getting late," Brinna said, looking up at the dim green light that filtered through the trees. "We'd better head back to the Hawk and set out for the Shadowlands in the morning. Before we do that, though, I want to try to talk to some of the other Wookies here to see if we can get a better feel for just how strong of a hold Chuundar has over everyone."

Carth nodded and they started canvassing the village. They soon learned that Wookies were less than fond of "outsiders" and were not able to gather any information of use. The only thing they were able to learn from the Wookies was that a well-respected Wook by the name of Rorworr had gone missing in the Shadowlands and that they were all anxious to find out what had happened to him.

Dispirited, she and Carth made their way back to the Hawk. Brinna was taking Zaalbar's capture hard. She'd saved him from Gamorrean slavers only to bring him back to Kashyyyk where he might very well end up in the hands of slavers anyway. She wasn't sure if Carth sensed her morose mood or if he was afraid to talk to her because she'd been giving him the cold shoulder for the past day. At any rate, he didn't say anything to her as they returned.

"Where's Big Z?" Mission asked as they boarded the ship. She and Bastila were waiting in the loading bay.

"I've got bad news," Brinna said, placing a hand on the Twi'lek's shoulder. At the terrified look on Mission's face, she hastily added, "Zaalbar's fine but he's been taken captive by the Wookie chieftain. Come on, I'll explain more once we get everyone in the common room."

"Sasha's in the bunkroom," Bastila said quietly, in response to Brinna's unasked question. Brinna nodded and led them into the common room.

Carth went off to gather everyone as Bastila, Brinna, and Mission sat down at the table. Brinna took Mission's hand and squeezed it as they waited for the rest of the group to gather. When everyone was present, Brinna and Carth launched into an explanation of what was happening on Kashyyyk and told them of the visit with Chuundar.

"The Wookies want to send you down into their Shadowlands with an escort? It sounds to me like they're hoping you won't return," Canderous said.

"I'm sure that's exactly what they're hoping but they're going to be disappointed," Brinna said firmly.

"Poor Big Z," Mission said, her eyes filled with tears. "All this time he never told me about any of this. No wonder why Kashyyyk's always been such a sore spot for him."

"We'll get him back safely, Mission, I promise," Brinna said fiercely.

Mission nodded and brushed at her eyes.

"Czerka must be stopped," Juhani said in an angry voice. She had seemed very disturbed to learn of the slaving operations and Brinna made a mental note to talk to the Cathari in an effort to learn more about her background.

"First thing tomorrow, we'll set out for the Shadowlands. Carth, Canderous, I want you both ready at 0700 hours. As for the rest of you, I'd like you to see what you can prod out of the Wookies and the Czerka employees. We need to find anyone who opposes the slaving operations and see what we can do to gather the dissenters together. By the time we leave this planet, this will be one slaving operation that will no longer exist," Brinna vowed.

Everyone nodded their acknowledgement. It seemed that the others had already eaten so Carth and Brinna got themselves some food, although Brinna was too busy trying to console a despondent Mission to eat much. Carth quietly cleared away their meal and left Brinna alone to do what she could for Mission.

After a few hours, Brinna had finally calmed Mission enough to convince the Twi'lek to get some sleep. As Mission wandered off to the bunkroom, Brinna sighed and sat back, rubbing her burning eyes with the heels of her hands. This was definitely the lowest she'd felt since their mission had begun. It was hard for her to control the impulse to go storming into Chuundar's home, lightsabers blazing, and free Zaalbar but she knew that the sheer force of her will alone would not be enough to get the deed done.

The more she thought about Zaalbar's capture, the more Brinna realized that she no longer wanted to be on such poor terms with Carth. It killed her to have had one of her own snatched from her and all of her desire to continue giving Carth the cold shoulder had evaporated. Seeing how despondent Mission was over the capture of her friend had reminded Brinna just how important her own friendship with Carth was to her.

She made her way into the cockpit, Carth turning as soon as she entered the room. They looked wordlessly at each other for a minute before Brinna sighed and moved over to the co-pilot's seat. She pulled her Verpine headband off and tossed it aside and then tugged the tie from her hair, rubbing tiredly at her scalp.

"We didn't end our last discussion very well," she said quietly to him. She looked over and met his eyes.

He sighed and looked regretful. He told her that he owed her an apology and that he had been so anxious to face Saul at the battle over Taris.

"I know," Brinna said softly.

"Now the Jedi have us looking for these…these Star Maps. I know this mission is important, it's just…I feel a bit useless. I can fight, sure, but I'm no Jedi…" Carth sighed. "All this feels completely out of my league."

"Maybe if you pull yourself together you wouldn't be so useless," Brinna said with a small smile, unable to resist needling him.

"You don't exactly pull any punches, do you? Not that I don't deserve it, I suppose," he said, smiling in return. He confessed that he just hated feeling like he didn't know what was going on and the feeling of helplessness that went along with it.

"But I shouldn't have taken that out on you," he added. "I've been a royal pain in the backside, haven't I?"

Brinna laughed at that. "You sure have," she told him, her eyes twinkling mischievously.


	15. Disturbing Discoveries

Brinna went to sleep with a stupid grin on her face and it was still there when she woke the next morning. Only the sight of Mission's face, drawn with anxiety, could wipe the ridiculous smile off Brinna's face. As soon as she saw how worried Mission was, Brinna felt very selfish for having been so focused on her own happiness.

"Don't worry, Mission," Brinna said, putting a reassuring hand on the Twi'lek's arm. "I'm not going to abandon Zaalbar to Chuundar. We'll get him back."

"I know," Mission said with an attempt at a smile but she didn't look any less anxious than she had two minutes ago.

The teen walked out of the bunkroom with a dejected slump to her shoulders and Brinna moved over to Bastila and Juhani, who had been quietly watching the exchange.

"Could the two of you see if Chuundar might at least let Mission visit Zaalbar?" Brinna asked.

Juhani nodded. "We will take Mission, although I am not confident that she will be allowed to see her friend."

"Neither am I," Brinna admitted with a sigh. "But it's better than her sitting around here moping all day. But who knows? Maybe you'll succeed where I failed. Maybe you'll be able to talk some sense into Chuundar."

Bastila nodded curly. "We will try," she assured Brinna.

She was not pleased about being left behind while Brinna went down into the Shadowlands and Brinna knew it. It didn't matter to her, though. Brinna had a strong premonition that she would need some serious muscle down there and she had decided to bring Carth and Canderous along with her because of it. It wasn't that Brinna doubted either Bastila or Juhani's abilities; it was simply that she had yet to see the Mandalorian walk away from a battle looking any worse for the wear than he had when the battle had begun. As for why she had chosen Carth…

As Brinna's thoughts turned to him, she felt a response from Bastila. Two could play at Bastila's game, however, and Brinna closed her thoughts off to the other Jedi, denying Bastila the access she sought. Bastila's gaze met hers rather challengingly and Brinna could sense Bastila's mocking question: _Do you have something to hide?_

"Bond or no bond, some things are private," Brinna told her quietly. She then turned on her heel and walked out of the bunkroom. She could sense Bastila's disapproval and Juhani's confusion.

The rest of the crew was assembled in the common room. Mission was picking dejectedly at her food while Carth did his best to cheer her. Canderous was standing near the replicator and Brinna headed his way.

"We'd better get that Wookie back soon," Canderous said, his gravely voice sounding grave.

"I know. If I'd known this was going to happen, I would have made Zaalbar stay behind on the ship. It's my fault that he was taken," Brinna said. She meant what she said. She was angry with herself for exposing Zaalbar to such a perilous situation.

"Don't blame yourself, blame Chuundar. There's no honor in what he did, taking a hostage and hiding like a coward, sending you out to do his dirty work," Canderous said, disgust evident in his tone.

"Considering he's helping to enslave his own people, I'd have to say that honor is the last thing Chuundar's worried about," Brinna said dryly.

"Maybe you should take me to see this Wookie."

Brinna couldn't help but smile at that. "Trust me, if I thought it would help, I would. As it is, the sooner we get down into the Shadowlands, the better."

"I'm ready whenever you are," Canderous told her.

"You've probably been up all night, unable to sleep because of the prospect of battle."

Canderous grinned at her. "Very insightful."

She ate a quick breakfast and then she, Carth, and Canderous gathered their things and left the Hawk. Canderous looked thrilled to be off the ship and headed toward a possible engagement and he eagerly moved ahead of Brinna and Carth, scouting out their route.

"Aw, isn't that sweet," Brinna commented. "He can't wait to kill something."

Carth laughed and she looked over at him with a smile. "This is much better than the cold shoulder," he told her.

"But not better than bickering with me, I'll bet."

"Nothing's better than that," he teased her.

"I aim to please," she said, with a wink.

They caught up to Canderous. Along the way, they ran into some Wookies who were doing some hunting, trying to clear the walkways of kinrath. The Wookies were less than thrilled with the presence of Brinna, Carth, and Canderous even though the three had aided the Wookies in killing the kinrath. Brinna was becoming too used to such treatment at the hands of the Wookies, however, and she didn't let it bother her. After all, it was understandable. The only other humans on their planet were trying their best to enslave as many Wookies as possible.

Gorwooken wasn't much more cordial when they finally found him. He curtly told them to be quiet during the descent so that they would not attract unwanted attention. Brinna had already had about enough of the forest creatures of Kashyyyk and decided to take Gorwooken's advice. The descent took a good twenty minutes and Brinna couldn't help but marvel. She'd never seen trees a tenth as big as those on Kashyyyk and she found herself surveying the forest about her in awe. When they finally reached the forest floor, it was abundantly clear just how fitting the name "Shadowlands" was. It was so dim on the forest floor that it was impossible to tell that it was full daylight. The ground was a forbidding place and it wasn't hard for Brinna to understand why the Wookies took it as seriously as they did.

She had little time to marvel about the forest, however. As soon as they set foot on the ground, they caught sight of a fire and Brinna had to blink a couple of times before she believed the sight of the campers that stood around it. Calo Nord stood smirking at them, a couple of mean-looking Wookies standing just behind and to either side of him.

"How the hell did he make it off Taris?" Brinna asked Canderous under her breath.

"He probably attached himself to the underside of a ship like the insect he is," the Mandalorian told her.

Canderous's eyes took on something of a feral gleam as he taunted the diminutive Nord about his Wookie muscle. Calo was rather smug about having survived Taris and Brinna did her best to hide her amazement.

"Can you believe this guy?" Carth asked her quietly. "He just keeps turning up."

"We'll just have to make sure that this is the last time we're ever going to see him again," she replied, her eyes fixed on the bounty hunter.

"Good riddance," Carth said and then the battle began.

As usual, Calo had several choice explosives, as did his Wookie companions. This time, however, Brinna was ready for him. She used the Force to help her leap clear of the explosives and then froze the Wookies in stasis. Calo Nord, unfortunately, proved to be very resistant to the Force but Canderous didn't seem to mind. He went after the bounty hunter with a zeal that Brinna found rather alarming. She left him to it, however, and took the opportunity to permanently disable the Wookie who had been standing to the left of Calo.

When the battle was over, the Shadowlands were made even dimmer by the dense smoke that Nord's explosives had left behind. Brinna and her companions took a few moments to heal and to search the bodies of Calo and his companions. By the time they had finished, the smoke was finally beginning to clear and Brinna saw Gorwooken standing at the basket looking completely nonplussed by what had just happened.

"You looking at the Wookie? He was probably hoping we'd all finish each other off," Carth said, as if he'd read her mind.

"Friendly sort, isn't he?" Brinna asked sarcastically. "Helpful too. Although I guess I really can't blame him. If I were in his shoes, I'd probably hope for the same thing."

"Let's move. We've got better things to do than standing around here watching these corpses rot," Canderous told them.

"I don't think they'll be around here long enough for that," Brinna said, with a slight shudder. She could see a disconcerting number of bright eyes peering out from the underbrush.

They followed the narrow path that had been carved through the forest. The trees arched overhead, lending the unsettling feeling that they were moving through a tunnel. While there was some beauty up high in the boughs of the trees where the Wookies made their homes, Brinna saw nothing to admire about the Shadowlands. She could hardly wait to leave them far behind her.

Suddenly, a familiar sound caught Brinna's ear and she exchanged glances with Canderous and Carth. They moved cautiously and, just around the bend, caught sight of an old man with a lightsaber fighting back four katarns.

_A Jedi? Here?_ Brinna thought in amazement.

The mystery Jedi made short work of the katarns and then turned to complain to Brinna, Carth, and Canderous about the "damnable racket of battle". Brinna could feel him reaching out to them with the Force, trying to get a feel for them. He seemed satisfied with what he found; the next thing Brinna knew, he was hurrying off into the Shadowlands, calling over his shoulder for them to follow him.

"Could this day get any stranger?" Brinna murmured as the Jedi led them to a hovel-like dwelling.

"You probably shouldn't ask that question or it probably will, just to prove it can," Carth said dryly.

The Jedi introduced himself as Jolee Bindo. Brinna had heard him mumbling something about fighting the Sith and she would have liked to probe him further but he wasn't really in the mood for answering questions. She was able to learn that he knew of what they were searching for but said that there was certain "barriers" that stood in their way. He then told her that he'd join up with her and help her to bypass those barriers if she would take care of the Czerka poachers who were slaughtering tachs. She stared at him incredulously but she could sense that he was quite serious. Brinna wasn't too thrilled about being made to jump through hoops but it looked as though she would need his assistance and so she agreed to the task. As they left, she could sense contemplation from him as he reached out once more to her through the Force.

Brinna's meeting with Jolee had left her feeling slightly off balance. He had studied her with some interest, almost as if he knew something about her that she didn't know about herself. She didn't like the feeling. He acted eccentric but Brinna could sense that he had a very sharp, intelligent, and active mind.

"What was going on back there?" Carth asked her once they were out of earshot.

"Huh?" Brinna asked, rousing herself from her own Force-aided probing of Jolee.

"Jedi mumbo jumbo," Canderous answered him. "Jedi mind reading."

"We don't read minds," she said, shortly. "We can sense things but we don't pry into other people's private thoughts."

"No need to be so sensitive. I wasn't accusing you of anything," Canderous told her.

"More fool you. After all, I read your mind all the time. Not that there's a whole lot in there," she shot back at him, rolling her eyes.

"Found anything you like?" Canderous asked with a grin.

"You wish," Brinna told him dismissively.

"What's this?" Carth asked, crouching down. The expression on his face turned grim.

Brinna moved over to him and soon saw why he looked so grim. The body of a Wookie lay on the ground before him. Scanning the ground, Brinna found a bowcaster bolt casing.

"He was killed by another Wookie," Brinna said, holding the casing up to examine it more closely. It bore some markings and she wondered if one of the other Wookies might recognize them.

"Small wonder why," Carth said as she tucked the casing into her pack. He handed a datapad over to her. "It's that missing Wookie, Rorworr. Looks like he was helping traffic in slaves."

Surprised, Brinna took the datapad from Carth and saw that it was a slaving contract. She sighed and added it to her pack. "I have a feeling that one's not going to go over well," she said.

As they continued their explorations, Canderous literally stumbled over another interesting piece of evidence. It turned out to be a disembodied droid head and Brinna was able to play back a recording that implicated their shopkeeper friend Eli Gand in the murder of Matton Dasol's crew.

"More good news," Carth said as they destroyed the droid's head.

"We're full of it," Brinna said in a voice of false cheer. "Come on, there's nothing more to scout out here. Let's go see to those poachers and then we'll go pay a visit to Eli and Matton."

Following the directions Jolee had given them, they quickly found the area where the poachers had set up camp. Six machines had been set up, establishing a perimeter and Brinna studied them with interest. Her interest must have been obvious because the leader of the group moved over and addressed her.

He spoke derisively of Jolee and didn't seem the least bit worried about Brinna's presence. She was tempted to smack some sense into the man but she was determined to reach a nonviolent solution, if possible—and not just because Jolee had asked her to do so. The captain, however, didn't seem interested in negotiating and she sidled away from him to zero in on a more likely target. She began to chat up a guard standing at one of the machines while Carth and Canderous kept the captain occupied.

The guard looked bored out of his mind and spoke to her in a sullen tone of voice. Brinna smiled sweetly at him and asked him about the emitter he was guarding. He warmed to her enough to tell her that it was a sonic emitter.

"So this is the only thing keeping the predators at bay?" Brinna asked him in a casual tone. She ran her fingers lightly over the emitter and looked up at the guard through her lashes.

It worked like a charm. He admitted that it was and she coaxed him into giving her the code to shut the machine down. It didn't take all that much convincing; the man was not happy about his assignment and seemed thrilled at the idea of getting out of it. Brinna thanked him sweetly and used the code to shut the emitter down. She gestured to Carth and Canderous to keep the captain talking as she sidled over to one of the other guards.

A few minutes later, the second emitter was shut down. The effect was almost instantaneous. They could hear a low rumble and the forest floor began to shake. Panicked, the captain turned around just in time to catch sight of a truly terrifying beast that was making its way toward them. Brinna readied her sabers but she needn't have bothered. The beast was so intent on the Czerka who'd been holding it back that it didn't even notice her, Carth, and Canderous standing off to the side.

"What was that thing?" Carth asked, staring after the beast's retreating form.

"I don't know and I don't want to," Brinna answered, helping herself to the poachers' abandoned supplies. "Come on; let's take a look at what's past these emitters."

They made little progress down the path before they ran into a huge arch with a glowing purple shield. Brinna placed a tentative hand on it. Nothing happened but the shield felt solid and there was no way she could see of breaking through it.

"This must be what the old man was talking about when he said there were barriers," Canderous commented.

Brinna nodded. "Since he said he can get past them, I'm assuming that means he knows the codes to bypass the shields. Let's go back up and tell Matton about his friend Eli and then we'll come back down and meet up with Jolee."

Gorwooken didn't seem too pleased to see them and he grumbled something about how they'd better not take too long to fulfill the mission Chuundar had assigned them. Brinna's patience was thin but she managed to hang onto the threads of her civility and settled for merely telling Gorwooken to just take them back up to the surface, her tone indicating that she was not eager for further discussion. The Wookie sent a disgusted look her way but did as she requested.

Eli must have scented danger in the air because he looked rather skittish when he saw Brinna and her companions approaching. Of course, the grim expression on her face coupled with Carth's expression of disgust and Canderous's menacing one probably clued him in that something was wrong. He greeted Brinna and, cutting right to the chase, she informed him of the droid she'd found on the forest floor. Eli tried to steer the conversation in another direction but Matton wanted to hear what she had to say, so Brinna told him about the recording the droid had made.

Matton immediately put two and two together and, incredulity and indignation clear in his voice, he tried to question Eli about it but the coward turned tail and ran. Brinna could sense that both Carth and Canderous were itching to go after him but she raised a quelling hand and urged Matton in a gentle voice not to exact any sort of revenge on Eli. She pointed out to him that, at any rate, Eli wouldn't last long in the Shadowlands. Matton considered her words for a moment and then agreed with Brinna. Carth told Matton he didn't know if he could have been as forgiving, which came as no real surprise to Brinna.

Brinna asked Matton what his plans were and he said he'd take over Eli's shop until he earned enough credits to get himself off the planet. He then insisted on giving Brinna a reward and she turned around and spent it all and then some on items from his shop. She wasn't really in need of supplies at the moment but she wanted to do all she could to help Matton out. Matton thanked them again before they left.

"It's getting late," Carth said, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah and I don't fancy being down in the Shadowlands at night," Brinna said, with a slight shudder. "Canderous, can you take this stuff back to the ship while Carth and I go get Jolee? Let Juhani and Bastila know what's going on. We'll be joining you all on the ship in as little time as humanly possible."

"Now I'm the errand boy?" Canderous asked.

Brinna rolled her eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that you'd rather come with us to fetch Jolee? That doesn't seem your style either."

"Good point," Canderous told her gruffly, taking the supplies. "I'll see you back on the ship."

"Let's hurry. I want to get back up here as soon as possible," Brinna told Carth.

"I'm with you there," he agreed.

They didn't speak much as they hurried over to Gorwooken. Brinna could tell that Carth had something on his mind but she decided to let it be for the moment. She sensed that he needed some time to mull things over before he spoke again.

Once on the lift, Brinna and Carth stood as far from the less than pleasant Gorwooken as they could get. Carth remained silent until they were about halfway down.

"Why did you tell Matton not to go after Eli?" he asked her quietly.

She was rather taken aback by the question. This was what he'd been mulling over? But then she thought about his words and realized that he was really asking the question because he was thinking about his own need to exact vengeance against Saul.

"Because I don't think vengeance is justice," she told Carth gently.

He stiffened, as she'd known he would. Still, she was not going to change her answer just to please him. He'd asked her why she had advised Matton to make the choice she had and she was going to tell him the truth.

"And what if there is no possibility that justice will be served?" Carth asked after a minute. His voice was tight.

"Carth, I know how you feel about Saul…"

"You have no idea," he said. The sudden savageness in his voice shocked her and she started. He noticed her reaction and made a visible effort to collect himself, taking a deep breath and running a hand through his hair.

"Maybe I don't," she said tentatively. "I just would like to think that if I were in that situation, I would not want to become what I hated. And that's what I think vengeance does to a person."

"That's easy for you to say," he said, his anger coming forth once again.

His sudden viciousness hurt her feelings, even though she knew that his anger wasn't really directed toward her. She slipped her finger under the leather strap of her necklace and ran it back and forth a couple of times as she tried to decide what to say. There was more to the whole story with Saul and she wanted to ask Carth about it but she didn't want him to shut her out again. She was still debating over what to say when the lift touched the forest floor and Carth scrambled off it as if it were burning. With a sigh, Brinna followed after him.

Their progress along the forest path was swift. What small amount of dim light existed down on the forest floor was rapidly fading as the day waned and they were anxious to get out of there before it disappeared completely. Carth stood a little off to the side as Brinna told Jolee that the poachers had been driven away. She could sense Carth struggling with his emotions once again and she wanted to reach out and touch him, wanted to find the magic words to make everything in his world right. She had to force herself to focus on what Jolee was saying.

The old Jedi was pleased to hear of their success but Brinna found herself staring at him in disbelief as he expressed the view that maybe the poachers had deserved death. She shook her head, wondering if she was hearing things. After all, he'd told her he would prefer her to find a non-violent solution. Amazed, she told him that there'd been no reason to kill the poachers and he said that the environment might beg to differ.

Brinna decided that it was a fruitless argument and she reminded Jolee that he'd agreed to help them if they took care of his poachers. He was quite cheery as he told her he hadn't forgotten their agreement and he asked for a minute to gather his things. Brinna took the opportunity to look over at Carth, who seemed to have composed himself and was looking at Jolee with something like a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

"Come back up to our ship with us," Brinna told Jolee when he was ready to go. "We've got plenty of room in the quarters and it's getting too late to go on today. We'll head deeper into the Shadowlands first thing in the morning."

"Good idea," Jolee said genially. "Got any decent grub on that ship of yours?"


	16. Emancipation

Brinna felt weighted down with sorrow when she rose the next morning. She was surprised by how quickly she'd come to care for the other members of her ragtag crew. It was probably only natural, considering that she'd spent much of the last few years alone, but it was still amazing to her just how important they were to her after such a short time. The deeper she got into this mission, the more she worried. Exposing herself to danger was one thing. She was used to danger and not afraid of it. She knew how to take care of herself and if someone got the best of her, well everyone had to die sometime. However, she was not used to having other people in the equation. She felt protective of her crew, as if it were her responsibility to see to their safety and well-being and so far she felt like she was doing a lousy job of it. She blamed herself for Zaalbar's predicament and Mission's distress over it. As for Carth, even though she knew that she was not to blame for his sorrow, she still felt as though she needed to fix it.

"You can't fix everything," her mother had told her once.

"I can die trying," Brinna had responded.

"I believe you would try until it killed you," her mother had said ruefully.

Of course, back then her mother hadn't known the half of it. No one could have predicted what was to come. No one could have known that no matter what Brinna did, there would be no fixing it…

_Stop it,_ she told herself. _You know this doesn't help. It's all in the past now and there's nothing you can do about it anymore. You need to just accept that and move on._

"I can't," Brinna whispered, tears rising to her eyes as they always did whenever she thought about her past. Fortunately, she was alone in the bunkroom so there was no one to notice her distress. She brushed the tears from her eyes impatiently and moved over to her footlocker, pulling her robes and boots out.

On some level, she knew that her need to "fix" Carth and Mission had a lot to do with her own failures in the past. And yet, it was more than that. She didn't want to help them simply to make up for past failures; she truly cared about both of them and she had never been able to bear watching those she cared about suffer.

_Amara…Mom…_she thought, pain stabbing through her once more. She involuntarily clutched at her necklace.

"Not now," she whispered, dropping her hand back down to her side. "Not now. There's too much to do. You need to focus."

She dressed quickly and practically ran from the bunkroom. She headed immediately for the common room and saw that everyone was in there except for Carth and Bastila. Jolee was sitting at the table next to Mission, speaking to her in low tones. For the first time in days, Mission's face looked tranquil and Brinna could sense the calm that now flowed through her. Brinna could sense the compassion that Jolee felt for Mission and she felt a flash of gratitude toward him. He must have sensed it because he glanced up and met her gaze.

"Thank you," she mouthed silently to him.

He nodded and gave her a slight smile before turning his attention back to Mission.

Juhani was seeing to Sasha and Canderous was fiddling with T3. Brinna didn't want to know what Canderous was doing to the poor little droid. She only hoped he didn't have any plans to drop into some hostile planet's atmosphere on the back of the poor little thing.

Bastila was absent but it took only a second for Brinna to locate her through the bond they shared. The other Jedi was in the utility bay making some alterations to her lightsaber and Brinna decided to head Bastila's way. It seemed that the more Brinna spoke with Carth, the more his paranoia was rubbing off on her. She had started wondering herself why the Council had chosen her for this mission and she had a few questions she wanted answered by Bastila.

"Good morning," Bastila said, not looking up from the workbench.

"Morning," Brinna responded.

"You have something you would like to ask me." Naturally, it wasn't a question. Chances were Brinna didn't even really need to voice her question to Bastila but communicating via the bond still unsettled Brinna, who much preferred the normal human form of communication.

"Why did the Council send me on this mission with you?" she asked Bastila.

The question provoked in Bastila a flicker of some emotion that Brinna didn't quite recognize. She tried to further probe Bastila via their bond but all she could feel now was calm flowing toward her from the other Jedi's direction. It was frankly unnerving that Bastila was so good at putting up such a cool façade.

After a moment, Bastila responded that she could not complete the mission alone and that the Council had decided that Brinna should accompany her because of the bond they shared. Bastila said that the events on Taris proved that the Force had brought them together for the mission.

This answer seemed just a bit too pat for Brinna and she told Bastila that it seemed odd to her that she'd been sent off without a master. She was rather surprised when Bastila admitted that she'd initially thought that maybe the Council's sending her with Brinna had been a test of Bastila's abilities, to determine whether she was ready to progress to the rank of Master.

"I get the feeling that there's more going on than I know," Brinna said, voicing her suspicions at last.

Once again, something flickered through Bastila's mind and was gone before Brinna could seize upon it. Brinna was growing more suspicious and more irritated by the minute. She frowned as Bastila responded to the statement with a non sequiter, talking about how she'd realized that it was foolish for her to think of her mission with Brinna as a test. She then spewed the same answer that the Jedi had given back on Dantooine: that sending a Master along with them would have attracted too much attention. The Jedi had calculated the risks and decided that sending Bastila and Brinna on the mission was the only option available.

"I guess that makes sense," Brinna said, although she wasn't entirely convinced that it did.

"You must trust in the wisdom of the Council," Bastila told her, for what must have been at least the thousandth time. She told Brinna that her destiny would come and that she shouldn't be so impatient.

"You're right," Brinna said. She knew that further questioning would get her nowhere and she was tired of the conversation. Perhaps she was spending too much time with Carth. It seemed she was becoming nearly as paranoid as him.

Still, she could not dismiss her uneasiness. There were just too many unexplained things that had happened to her. This coupled with Bastila's tight-lipped responses when it came to questions about the Council and the strange way that Jolee had been studying her led Brinna to think that maybe there might just be something to Carth's insistence that things weren't quite what they seemed.

Brinna returned to the common room and helped herself to a mug of caffa before heading for the cockpit, where she knew she'd find Carth. She seated herself in the co-pilot's chair and looked over at him. He had his own mug of caffa but it seemed to have been forgotten and he was staring out at the forests of Kashyyyk with a blank expression on his face.

"How are you doing?" Brinna asked quietly.

He slowly turned to look at her and she was pleased to note that there was less turmoil in his gaze than there had been in the past.

"Better, actually," he told her. "I feel…less burdened."  
"I'm glad," she said simply.

"I wanted to thank you again… I know I've been moody and defensive and I appreciate you putting up with that. You're a good friend."

"You don't need to thank me. I'm just glad to help."

She reached over the console to give his shoulder a brief squeeze but before she could pull her hand back, he reached out and caught it. He squeezed it gently and ran his thumb over the back of it. The sensation caused a shiver to race through Brinna. She opened her mouth to say something to him, though she had no idea what she was going to say. She simply felt that she needed to say something, even though it seemed that she was incapable of logical thought at the moment.

They both heard footsteps approaching and Carth hastily dropped her hand. She felt her face grow hot. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a slight flush come over Carth's face as well.

"Are you two ready yet?" Jolee's cantankerous voice asked, breaking into the awkwardness that had settled over the cockpit. "There's a Twi'lek lass out there who's really missing her walking carpet and I don't think we should keep her waiting for the reunion any longer than necessary."

"You're right, we shouldn't," Brinna agreed, rising from her seat. She was so flustered that she stumbled and nearly fell flat on her face.

_Please tell me no one noticed that. For the love of the Force, please don't let anyone have noticed that._

Her pleas were not to receive the response she would have liked, however. While it appeared that Carth hadn't noticed her stumble, she knew immediately that Jolee had. She could sense him reach out to her lightly through the Force and then he glanced slyly from her to Carth, one eyebrow raised.

_Damn your perception!_

It was almost as if she'd spoken the words aloud or as if Jolee had read her mind. He turned so that his back was facing Carth and smiled broadly at Brinna. She frowned at him and decided that she would just have to deal with this particular problem at another time.

_Not another one! I can only deal with one Force bond at a time, thank you very much._

"Let's go," she said, draining the rest of the contents of her mug and hurrying out of the cockpit, as if cleaning her mug was an imperative task that could not be put off a moment longer.

Soon afterward, she, Carth, and Jolee left the ship and hurried to Gorwooken. The Wookie wasn't any friendlier than he'd been the previous day and though Jolee stood and chatted with him amiably in a whisper as the lift lowered, the Wookie didn't say one word in response.

"He was always my favorite. So friendly," Jolee confided to Brinna as soon they left the lift and headed for the energy shield. Brinna couldn't help but smile.

As they walked, Carth commented on Jolee deciding to leave his hermitage behind in favor of coming to help them. Jolee responded to this with a rambling answer that Brinna could see confused Carth as much as it did her.

"Okay, old man, you lost me there," Carth said.

Jolee proceeded to clarify for him and the gist of his statement was that history repeated itself but that he had decided to help them rather than allow Malak to win and subject the galaxy to a few hundred years of Sith rule. Brinna knew right away that Carth was not pleased with this assertion and he told Jolee that the Republic had stood for something for 15,000 years and that if it fell everything would change forever. Jolee answered him rather dismissively and she could see that Carth wanted to say something more but he settled for pressing his lips into a thin line and striding down the path ahead of them.

As she watched Carth's back, Brinna couldn't help but think of what Jolee had said and, as warped as his logic may have seemed, she could see that he did have something of a point. It didn't change her feelings, however. Malak was a tyrant and she intended to do everything she could to stop him. If history repeated itself, so be it. That didn't mean she was going to stand around and do nothing while Malak ran around the galaxy killing millions. She'd leave that kind of passiveness to others.

"Always ready to jump right into the fray," Jolee commented, startling her.

"You're nosy," she told him, with a frown.

"So I am," he answered pleasantly. "I just find you and your pilot friend there fascinating. I guess neither of you has any patience to speak of."

"Keep this up and I certainly won't have anymore with you," she told him, cracking a smile.

"You wouldn't be the first," he said, smiling right back at her.

They reached the shield and, sure enough, Jolee knew how to bypass it. Within a matter of minutes, he'd disabled the shield and they stepped deeper into the Shadowlands.

If it was at all possible, it was even more forbidding than the parts of the Shadowlands that they'd already covered. It was twilight on the forest floor and it took a few moments for Brinna's eyes to adjust to the dim light. Any beauty she had found on other parts of Kashyyyk seemed to have forsaken this place entirely. The trees overhead seemed oppressive rather than majestic and they were hung with heavy vines that were as thick around as her forearm. The underbrush was even thicker here and it rustled a whole lot more than she would have liked. She could feel a shiver pass down her spine and the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up at the sensation of hundreds of eyes watching her.

"Nice place," she mumbled.

Almost immediately, they came across an injured Wookie who begged them for assistance. Brinna gave him a medpac and waited patiently for the kolto to do its work so that the Wookie could give them further information. He told them he'd come down into the Shadowlands with a hunting party and that they'd been assaulted by warriors who concealed themselves and attacked only those they perceived to be unarmed. Brinna translated the conversation for Carth's benefit. After years of living on Kashyyyk, Jolee had obviously learned the language so he had no need of her help.

"Mandalorians," Carth said and Brinna nodded.

"Do you have any idea how I can find these warriors?" Brinna asked.

"Just look for the bodies of my fallen companions," the Wookie said, his language made even more guttural by the anger in his voice. "Put your weapons away when you find the bodies and those honorless cowards will reveal themselves."

"I'll see to it that there aren't any left to attack your other fellows," Brinna promised him. She and Jolee slid their sabers in their packs and Brinna turned to Carth. "Hide your weapons. The only way the Mandalorians will come out is if they think we're unarmed. We should be able to find them wherever we see the bodies of fallen Wookies."

Sure enough, as they made their way from one group of Wookie corpses to the next, seemingly unarmed, the Mandalorians deactivated the cloaking devices they'd used and immediately attacked. Brinna felt grim satisfaction at the thought that they'd die sorry that they'd been stupid enough to attack a couple of Jedi and a Republic soldier.

"It's a good thing Canderous isn't here to see this. I think his head would probably explode," Brinna said as they stood over the bodies of the last of the hidden Mandalorians.

"And I thought the Mandalorians on Dantooine were repugnant," Carth said. He was leaning against one of the Mandalorian's now-abandoned swoop bikes. Brinna hoped that the Wookies might be able to find some use for the machines. It was small repayment for what the Mandalorians had done to them but at least it was something.

Jolee used the Force to heal the three of them while Brinna collected the helmet of the fallen Mandalorian leader to present to the injured Wookie. He was grateful to them and offered Brinna a bowcaster as a symbol of his thanks before heading out of the Shadowlands.

"Looks like you're making quite an impression on the Wookies," Jolee told Brinna as they watched the injured Wookie limp off.

"Well, maybe now you'll feel sorry for accusing me of caring about nothing other than the Star Maps," she told him.

"I do think you've got me there," Jolee told her.

"I guess that's as good as I'm getting," Brinna said, with a laugh.

"Be grateful you got that much," Jolee told her, his own mouth quirking at the corners.

They pressed further into the Shadowlands and Brinna tried her best to repress a shudder of revulsion as they crossed some forest kinrath and were forced to do battle.

"I hate those things," she said, kicking unceremoniously at the body of one of them.

"Hey, what's this?" Carth asked.

They'd reached a small clearing with several low-hanging vines. Brinna moved over to where he stood and noticed a stone on the ground upon which had been carved some words.

"It's some sort of ritual marker," Brinna said, reading the stone. "It says to leave an offering and a beast will come."

"Wait just a minute," Carth said, as he caught her eyeing a nearby kinrath body. "You're not really going to do this, are you? You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"You said it yourself, Carth. I'm rash. Besides, where's your sense of adventure?" she asked him as she tied the kinrath's corpse to one of the vines.

Mere seconds later they heard a deep rumble and the forest floor began to shake. The creature that was stomping toward them looked just like the one that had chased the Czerka off the previous day and Brinna found herself thinking that maybe she was just a bit too rash.

"Sense of adventure," Carth muttered, pulling his vibroblades from their sheaths.

"Better to lack a sense of adventure than to be completely lacking in sense, as you are," Jolee told Brinna as he readied his lightsaber.

Brinna attempted to use the Force to put the beast into stasis but it resisted. Frowning, she tried again and was again unsuccessful. Suddenly, it dawned on her that maybe she should have paid a bit more attention to the tales of the Twi'lek Jedi back on Dantooine.

It was a long, hard battle and when it was over, Brinna, Carth, and Jolee were all thoroughly battered. Brinna's Force powers were almost depleted and she was unable to fully heal all of them. Fortunately, Jolee had been a bit more prudent and was able to finish up where she'd left off.

"What was that thing?" Carth asked. He was standing bent over, hands on his knees, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

"A tarentatek," Brinna said tiredly. Gingerly, she nudged the creature's body with the toe of her left boot.

"It's been a long time since I've seen one of these," Jolee said. "But not long enough."

"Hold on," Brinna said, squinting at the body. She thought she'd seen a glimmer coming off it. Moving around to the other side of it, she could see that some sort of blade was protruding from the beast's back and she pulled it out, making a face at the squishing sound that accompanied her efforts.

"What is it?" Carth asked.

"I don't know. It's some sort of blade but there's no handle," she responded.

"It might prove important," Jolee said.

"A handleless blade?" Brinna asked, looking at him skeptically.

"You never know," he said.

"I have a feeling that you do but, as usual, you're not telling us," Brinna said wryly. She wiped the blade clean and stuffed it in her pack. "Come on, let's get going."

"Your 'mad' Wookie ought to be somewhere around here," Jolee told her.

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than they spotted the Wookie a short distance off. They approached him cautiously. The Wookie rambled incoherently at them and Brinna thought that maybe, just this once, Chuundar had been truthful about something. Suddenly, the Wookie let out a low growl and attacked them. Brinna was able to muster enough energy to use the Force to put him in stasis.

"I don't want to kill him!" she said, frustrated. "I want to talk to him and find out what's going on here!

"Maybe we just need to knock a little sense into him first," Jolee suggested.

It appeared that he was right. As soon as the Wookie came out of stasis, he resumed his attack. Brinna took up a defensive stance and only used her lightsabers when she had to, in order to protect herself. Still, there was no way of avoiding causing harm to the Wookie. She was very relieved when the Wookie called for them to stop.

He told Brinna to take his head but she responded that she had no desire to do so. In the aftermath of their battle, the Wookie seemed weary and was a lot more coherent and responsive than he'd been. Brinna learned that his name was Freyyr and that he had been exiled by his son, Chuundar. Her eyes wide, Brinna informed him that Zaalbar was traveling with them because of the life debt he'd sworn to her and it immediately became apparent that this information was enough to sway Freyyr in their favor.

Freyyr offered them more information about the feud between the two brothers. Brinna had not exactly thought highly of Chuundar when she had met him but, after listening to Freyyr, she found him downright despicable. She asked if there was anything that could be done to challenge Chuundar's authority and Freyyr said that it was possible, if someone were to find Bacca's Blade. Bacca's Blade, he explained to her, had belonged to a great Wookie warrior and the chieftains of his village had long carried it as a symbol of their authority. Chuundar held the handle but the blade had been lost some time ago.

"Is this it?" Brinna asked, extracting from her pack the blade she'd retrieved from the tarentatek and handing it over to Freyyr.

To her satisfaction, he confirmed that it was the blade he sought. He told her he'd climb up to the village and rally what support he could amongst the other Wookies. Brinna promised to meet him in the chieftain's home as soon as she could.

"Let's hurry it up," she said to Carth and Jolee as Freyyr left them. "I have a feeling it's going to get very ugly and I want to be sure we're there to do what we can. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to Zaalbar."

"Right. Let's move," Carth agreed.

They hurried their way through the forest, Jolee guiding them now because he knew where the Star Map was located. When they reached it, Brinna was surprised to see that a terminal had been set up next to it. As soon as they stepped into the clearing, the terminal was activated and it announced that she met set protocols and that it was going to test her to see if she would be able to gain access. Jolee was surprised to hear the machine announce that she met the protocols; apparently, he'd tried to access the thing himself and had been flat out denied every time.

The computer asked Brinna a series of rather disturbing questions and it soon became apparent to her that the computer expected her to respond in a set way and that she was not selecting the appropriate responses. It tried to give her another chance but she refused to answer with anything less than honesty. It seemed to want her to pick answers that she found truly base and she was not about to play along. In the end, the computer denied her access and sicced a couple of battle droids on them.

One of the strongest Force abilities Brinna had developed was the ability to attune to the Force in such a way that she could channel it into the destruction of droids. Using this ability, it did not take long for her to defeat the droids and, to her surprise, the computer suddenly announced that she was to be granted access after all. It claimed to have noticed certain behavioral patterns in her during the battle but refused to be more specific.

She asked it as many questions as she could think of but she soon learned that someone had come along four years ago or so and had wiped choice parts of the terminal's memory. Brinna had a strong suspicion as to the identity of the person who had played around with the terminal's memory circuits. The computer did give her some pretty eye-opening information about the nature of Kashyyyk and its evolution and she found herself feeling something like horrified awe for the power of the Creator race that had built the mysterious Star Forge and Star Maps. At last, the Star Map was opened and Brinna used it to fill in some of the pieces that had been missing from the map on Dantooine.

"These are some pretty powerful instruments of evil that you're dealing with," Jolee said casually as they made for the lift.

"I'm beginning to realize that," Brinna told him grimly.

"What did the Council tell you before sending you off on this mission?"  
"Precious little," she grumbled. "They were unable to find any information on the Star Forge in the archives but they knew Revan and Malak had visited the Dantooine ruins so they decided that Bastila and I had best find the other Star Maps and see where they led."

"How generous of them," Jolee said.

Brinna eyed him critically. "You don't think much of the Council, do you?"

"I try to think about them as little as possible."

"I should have known better than to ask such an open-ended question," Brinna replied, rolling her eyes. "Let's go. I'll pick your brain later," she promised Jolee.

They moved through the Shadowlands at a full-out run, eager to get back to the Wookie village before things got too bloody. When they reached Gorwooken, they were met with a higher level of hostility than ever before—apparently he did not care for what they had done for Freyyr and he and a couple of his pals were going to try their best to punish them for it.

"This is exactly what I didn't want to have happen!" Brinna exclaimed in frustration as Jolee used the Force to put Gorwooken and company in stasis.

"There's not much you could have done about it, my dear," he said calmly. "The Wookies divided themselves into factions long before you came along."

"That doesn't make me any happier that violence seems to follow me everywhere I go," Brinna said.

Jolee cast a quick glance her way before turning his attention back to the Wookie in front of him. Carth had already finished up with Gorwooken and, wordlessly, he came over to help Brinna.

She was grateful for his help and she stepped back, allowing him to take care of the third Wookie. What she hadn't told Jolee or anyone else, what she tried her best to hide even from herself, was that sometimes in the heat of battle she found herself experiencing a very disturbing thrill of satisfaction. She didn't know what name to put to it; bloodlust didn't seem strong enough.

_It's the dark side,_ she told herself, watching as Carth dealt the Wookie a final blow and the creature dropped to the ground. _It's at work on you. Jolee's right about those Star Maps. Each time you find one, you're touching a part of the dark side and it's trying its best to lure you away from your path._

She found no comfort in these thoughts. She had spent her entire life drawing distinctions between good and bad, right and wrong. In the past, it had been so easy for her to look at someone like Revan or Malak and simply say that they did what they did because they were bad people. But now that she was a Jedi, now that she found herself touched by the dark side, such explanations no longer sufficed. She could fight against the bad guys, just as she had always tried to do when she'd had the opportunity but there was no eliminating the dark side of the Force. It would always be there and would always try to prey upon every Jedi.

This, more than anything else, bothered her. For if the dark side was so powerful, how could someone like Malak or Revan be held completely responsible for their actions? Yes, they had chosen to follow the dark path but were they entirely to blame for that decision? Such thoughts frightened her because she had been so certain that she was a good person and yet there were times when she found the call of the dark side disturbingly alluring.

"We all struggle with it," Jolee said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder and jolting her out of her reverie.

"What?" she asked.

"The dark side. You're not alone in that."

Brinna looked up and saw that Carth was studying the two of them with a grim expression on his face. She was unnerved not only by the thoughts that had just been passing through her mind but also by Jolee's having tuned into them.

"Come on. We're wasting time," she said, pulling away from Jolee and stepping onto the lift.

While Jolee operated the lift, Brinna turned to Carth and asked him, "What do you know about Revan and Malak?"

She couldn't get those two off her mind. Maybe if she was able to learn as much as possible about them, she could avoid making whatever mistakes they had made that had resulted in their fall.

"To think that I once looked up to those two as the best that humanity had to offer. Now I'd like nothing more than to put a blaster to both their heads," Carth said.

His words made her shudder slightly. It was so easy for him to say something like that, to remain secure in the knowledge that he'd keep on following the light path, as he'd done all his life. But if she were to speak such words, if she were to allow such anger a hold over her…

Brinna forced her mind away from those thoughts and focused her attention once more on what Carth was saying. She learned that he'd met Malak once and that he'd been very impressed with Malak. Carth also said that Revan and Malak's involvement in the Mandalorian wars had been pivotal; without them, the Republic would have lost. Brinna asked if he knew why they had turned to the dark side and he said no one knew.

"What do you know about the dark side?" Brinna asked curiously.

He told her he'd once thought it just a fancy name for the corruption and stupidity he saw every day but then added, "I'm starting to think that it's different for the Jedi, however. That there's this evil watching them, waiting for its chance. You have so much courage and strength in you…yet, somehow, I have no trouble picturing it different. Like the flip side of a coin. It's not just you. It's Bastila, as well. She's so…intense. I don't pretend to know much about the Force…but I know evil."

They were the last words she wanted to hear coming out of his mouth. The more she found herself struggling, the more she wanted others to reassure her that she'd be fine, that it wouldn't happen to her.

"I'm not falling to the dark side, Carth, and I won't," she said forcefully. She needed to believe the words. She needed him to believe them.

"No? I know how people change. I remember how Malak looked and acted before his return…I bet the old Malak discounted the possibility that he would ever fall as well. Neither you nor Bastila are fully trained on how to handle your power. I'm just concerned at what might come."

"I can handle myself, Carth," Brinna insisted. She was beginning to feel a bit desperate.

"I know that and Bastila says the same thing," Carth responded. Brinna allowed herself a slight sigh of relief at this small vote of confidence.

"You're both incredible women," he continued. "I'm just…I'm just not sure if this is the kind of thing you can defeat. I suppose finding the Star Maps is more important than your training…and your safety. I just hope there isn't a price for you to pay."

Brinna was too morose to continue the conversation. She didn't exactly think it was a positive sign that Carth wasn't sure that the lure of the dark side could be defeated. Brinna needed to be assured that it could and yet no one would give her the assurance she sought.

_What about Juhani?_ she asked herself. _She fell but she came back. Even though she was already in its grasp, she was able to defeat the dark side. Sure, she still struggles with it every day but if she can do it, so can you. For as much as you've helped her, she can help you too. You can learn from her experience and you can draw strength from her just as she draws strength from you._

She glanced over at Jolee and he gave her a slight nod. She was still uneasy but she felt a little reassured. When the lift stopped at the walkway and they hurried off toward the village, she felt a rush of relief. It would be good for her to think about something else for a while.

They were escorted back into the village by a Wookie who told them that Freyyr had arrived at Chuundar's home and that he was contesting Chuundar's title as Chieftain. The Wookie's words hurried them along and they reached Chuundar's dwelling at last.

Once inside, the tension was so thick Brinna could have cut it with her lightsabers. Chuundar and Freyyr were facing off against one another, each of them clutching one half of the fabled Bacca's weapon. Zaalbar stood between the two of them, looking deeply confused.

Reaching a non violent solution was Brinna's ultimate goal and she did her best to try to convince Chuundar and Freyyr that they could talk things through. Freyyr wanted to try to work with his son but Chuundar would have none of it. He had obviously been feeding Zaalbar a heavy dose of his rhetoric during Zaalbar's captivity and the Wookie turned to Brinna for guidance. Without hesitation, she recommended that he ally himself with his father.

Chuundar, naturally, was not pleased at these words and the whole encounter unraveled from there. Nothing anyone could say was getting through to Chuundar and, in the end, fighting broke out.

The sound of the fire from the Czerka blasters and the howls of the Wookies were nearly deafening. Brinna gave in and added her own shout of frustration to the din. When the battle was finally over, she was exhausted and had a blinding headache.

Her frustration eased a bit as she watched the reunion of Freyyr and his son. Freyyr apologized to Zaalbar for listening to Chuundar and told Zaalbar that he would be pleased to have his son at his side once more. Zaalbar told him that he wasn't quite ready for that yet. At any rate, he said he still had a life debt to Brinna and that he would continue his travels with her. Freyyr gave Zaalbar Bacca's reconstructed blade as a token of thanks and Zaalbar accepted it solemnly. Someday, when he was ready to return to Kashyyyk, he would claim his place as Chieftain.

Before heading back to the ship, they stopped to see the Holder of Laws so that Brinna could hand the bolt casing over to him. The Holder recognized the casing as belonging to Jaarak, the older Wookie who had been with the young one when Brinna had learned that Rorworr was missing. Jaarak would say nothing in his defense and would have accepted the Holder's death sentence, had Brinna not stepped in. There had been far too much needless death that day and she was not about to let Jaarak sacrifice himself. It was obvious that the other Wookies held Rorworr in high esteem but Brinna could not stand there and allow an innocent Wookie to be sentenced to death simply so that the other Wookies could continue their unmerited hero worship of Rorworr. She showed the slaving contract to the Holder and Jaarak was absolved of his crime.

Deep in thought as they left the Holder's dwelling, Brinna found herself lagging behind the others. After a few moments, Jolee slowed to wait for her.

"You did a good thing here," he told her.


	17. Memories

For once, Brinna rose early. In fact, she rose so early that Mission, Bastila, and Sasha were all still asleep. She dressed as silently as she could, carrying her boots in her hand as she tiptoed out of the bunkroom. The common room was deserted except for T3, who beeped and whirred quietly as she sat and pulled her boots on. When she was finished, she headed for the cockpit.

Jolee was piloting the ship, Juhani sitting in the co-pilot's chair. The two were conversing in low voices when Brinna entered. Sensing her presence via the Force, they turned simultaneously and smiled their greetings.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that," Brinna confessed, shaking her head but smiling back at them anyway.

"I thought so too but it became more and more natural as time passed," Juhani told her.

Brinna moved behind Jolee's chair and leaned a hip against the center console. Through the viewscreen, she could see Dantooine. They were still some distance away, so the planet was little more than a distant yellow ball. As Brinna studied it, she could sense the presence of the Masters and she knew they could sense hers as well. She supposed that was one advantage of being a Jedi; it would be next to impossible for anyone to drop in on you unexpectedly.

Her thoughts wandered away from Dantooine and she found herself focusing more on Juhani, from whom she could sense sadness.

"Is everything all right, Juhani?" she asked.

The Cathari sighed. "I was just speaking with Jolee of Taris. It was my home world, before the Jedi found me and I was taken to Dantooine to train."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Brinna said. She felt a wave of sadness and anger at the thought of Taris.

Juhani began speaking of Taris and Brinna listened attentively. The more she learned about Juhani, the more surprised and fascinated she was. Juhani had not had an easy life, so Brinna supposed it wasn't too surprising that the dark side had found a toehold in her.

"It is so hard to lose your entire past. You would not understand," Juhani finished.

"You're right, I don't," Brinna agreed.

Glancing over at Jolee, she saw that he was studying the two of them with great interest and Brinna felt a slight shiver run up her spine.

"Sometimes I have the feeling that you know things you aren't telling me," she told Jolee, the words coming out of her mouth of their own accord.

"Oh, I'm sure I know a lot of things that I'm not telling you," he said in a pleasant tone.

Brinna wasn't fooled by his casual demeanor, though. The whole time she had been speaking to Juhani, she knew that Jolee had been gently probing at her through the Force. It was as if he was searching for something specific but what it was, Brinna couldn't say. She wished he'd be more up front with her but she knew if she asked him he would just talk in go-nowhere circles. Maybe one day he would deign to tell her just why he seemed to find her so fascinating.

He must have sensed something of her thoughts because he looked back at her and gave her a wide grin. "It's all that Force swirling around you, remember?"

"I remember," she sighed, thinking back to one of their earlier conversations. She knew there was more to it than that but she let the conversation drop, unwilling to pursue it further in front of Juhani.

Fortunately for Brinna, she found an excuse to beat a hasty retreat. Dantooine loomed larger and larger in the viewscreen and she pushed off the console. "I'm going to go let the others know that we'll be landing soon," she said.

When she wandered back into the common room, she found a sleepy-looking Wookie, a red-eyed Republic star pilot, and a grumpy Mandalorian gathered.

"Don't you all look cheerful," she said to them, moving over to the caffa and pouring a mug.

"I couldn't sleep all night for that damned Wookie's snoring," Canderous complained. Zaalbar growled bad-temperedly

"Somebody's in need of some caffa," Brinna chirped. "Drink this so that you can return to being the homicidal maniac that we all know and love." She handed the steaming mug to Canderous.

"One of these days that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble," he growled. A hint of a smile played about his lips.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Too late, it already has plenty of times."

"I'll bet it has," Canderous murmured.

Brinna poured a couple of mugs for Carth and Zaalbar before heading off to the women's bunks. She could feel Carth's eyes on her as she disappeared into the corridor and she couldn't help but smile. If she was on his mind half as much as he was on hers… But no, she couldn't allow herself to think about things like that.

Mission and Bastila were just beginning to stir as Brinna entered the room. The other Jedi looked surprised to see Brinna up and about before she was.

"We'll be landing on Dantooine shortly," she told them.

"I have much to discuss with the Masters," Bastila said.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Brinna asked.

"No. It is a…personal matter."

She could sense Bastila's evasiveness but she was too pleased to be getting out of another tedious meeting with the Council to worry about it. She moved over to Sasha's bunk and woke the girl gently. Sasha opened her eyes and smiled as she saw Brinna. The trusting expression on her face made Brinna's heart ache and she was very glad that Sasha would soon be back home with her parents. She could only imagine how desperate the girl's parents must be.

"We'll be landing on Dantooine soon, Sasha. When we get there, I'm going to introduce you to Lur Arka Sulas. He'll take you to your real home," Brinna told her, speaking in the strange Mandalorian-like dialect that the girl had taught her over the past several days.

Sasha looked apprehensive. "I want to stay with you," she said.

Brinna smiled and stroked the girl's hair. "I would be happy to have you but your parents miss you and you need to be home with them. You don't want them to be sad anymore, do you?"

"No," Sasha said, but she still looked uncertain.

"Just a second," Brinna said.

She got up from Sasha's bunk and rummaged through her footlocker for a moment. Once she found what she was looking for, she sat down on the edge of the girl's bed again.

"We'll always be friends," Brinna told her. "Whenever you feel afraid, I want you to look at this and remember two things. The first is that you're very brave and the second is that I'll be thinking about you."

Brinna took Sasha's hand and gently pushed a bracelet onto the girl's wrist. It was just costume jewelry, something that Brinna had picked up during one of her scouting trips. It had been in her pack, one of her few belongings that had made it off the Endar Spire with her. Sasha's eyes widened as Brinna released her hand. The girl touched the bracelet hesitantly and stared at it wide-eyed, as if it were made of precious gems.

"Thank you, Brinna. I'll keep it forever," she promised. She knelt on her bunk and hugged Brinna tightly. Brinna smiled and returned the embrace.

"You get dressed now," Brinna told Sasha. "I'll be back soon."

Mission stayed behind with Sasha but Bastila walked out of the bunkroom with Brinna. Brinna could sense the approval that Bastila felt and she turned to the other Jedi with a smile.

"You want to say something?" Brinna asked her.

Bastila sighed but then smiled, perhaps the first genuine smile Brinna had seen. "You have done a very good thing with Sasha. I will be sure to inform the Council of your actions," she said, taking Brinna rather by surprise.

"Thanks, Bastila," Brinna said.

The other Jedi nodded in acknowledgement and left Brinna in the common room as she continued on into the cockpit. Brinna's astonishment must have shown because Canderous looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You look like you've just seen a Hutt doing charity work," the Mandalorian told her.

"Something like that," Brinna told him. "Bastila just praised me for what I've done for Sasha."

"Will wonders never cease? The Ice Princess can actually speak for some purpose other than to lecture you?" Canderous snorted.

"Jealous?" Brinna asked, with a smile.

"Just surprised. That woman normally has the warmth of a starving kath hound."

Brinna laughed and then felt instantly contrite. "She's not that bad," she told Canderous. She didn't know why she felt the need to stick up for Bastila. It wasn't as if the other Jedi had actually earned it.

"If I didn't already know that you're the most willful woman in the galaxy, I might suspect that she pulled one of her Jedi mind tricks on you."

"All right, that's enough," Brinna said lightly. "Much more of this and I'm going to feed you to a starving kath hound."

"I'd like to see you try." Canderous drew himself up to his full height and looked down on her.

Smiling in response to the challenge, Brinna looked up and met his eye with a flashing gaze of her own. Though he was at least a head and a half taller than her and twice as wide as her, he smiled and backed down from her challenging expression.

"You're no match for me," she gloated.

"No, I don't think I am," he admitted, which surprised Brinna even more than Bastila's praise had.

"You'd better be careful there. Keep that up and everyone will discover that you've got a soft heart," she teased him.

"I've never even heard the old man say something that crazy," Canderous told her, with a derisive laugh.

"Oh well. At least I try," Brinna sighed with a shrug.

She looked over at the others and saw that Carth was watching her exchange with Canderous with a frown on his face. When he caught her looking, he colored slightly and pretended to be very interested in his empty mug. Brinna was tempted to try to tap into his emotions but she felt it would be a gross invasion of his privacy. Still, the temptation was so strong, she found herself nearly giving into it. She would have given a thousand credits to know just what that blush meant.

There was no more time to mull it over, however, as Jolee's voice came over the comm telling them all to strap in for the landing. Mission and Sasha came into the common room and everyone strapped themselves into a seat, talking idly as the ship touched down in Dantooine's spaceport. It was a good landing, but not nearly as good a landing as it would have been had Carth been at the controls, Brinna thought.

As soon as Jolee cut the engines, Brinna unstrapped herself and got out of her seat. "Carth, don't let Jolee and Juhani go anywhere until I get back. I'll only be a couple of minutes," she said.

He nodded and she joined Bastila, who was already on her way to the loading dock. The two chatted idly as they waited for the ramp to lower and then went their separate ways.

It only took Brinna a few minutes to find Lur Arka Sulas. She told him about Sasha stowing away on her ship and explained to him that the girl spoke nothing other than the dialect of Mandalorian that she had invented. Lur Arka Sulas asked if he could go onboard the Ebon Hawk to see the girl and Brinna immediately agreed.

Once on board, he tried to speak with Sasha but quickly found that communication between the two of them would be difficult, if not impossible. Regardless, he recognized the child right away and said that her father would be overjoyed to see her again. Brinna spoke a few words of assurance to the young girl, who hugged her tearfully before departing with the Twi'lek. As they left the ship, Brinna found herself brushing away a few tears of her own.

She went looking for Jolee and Juhani and found them in the common room with the rest. It seemed that Carth was Mission's latest Pazaak victim and Brinna couldn't help but smile at the look of stunned disbelief on his face as Mission won their current hand.

"I was wondering if you two might join me in meditation," Brinna said quietly to the other two Jedi.

"And miss all the fun here?" Jolee asked. Brinna raised her eyebrows and looked at him sternly. "Bah! I guess I could do with a bit of meditation then."

"I would be happy to join you," Juhani told her.

"I think we should go to the grove," Brinna said, reaching out to Juhani through the Force and watching the expression on the Cathari's face. Jolee watched as well; Brinna had told him the tale of how she and Juhani had met.

A flash of fear went through Juhani but was replaced by a steely determination. She nodded curtly at Brinna. "Yes, I think it is time for me to return to the grove," she agreed.

Brinna placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine, Juhani."

"Yes. I believe I will be," Juhani agreed.

"We'll be back in a couple hours," Brinna told the rest of the crew as Jolee and Juhani stood up and gathered their things.

"Soldier ought to be good and broke by then," Canderous replied, earning a glare from Carth.

"Hey there, big talker. I seem to recall you losing a good number of your own credits to our young Twi'lek cardsharp," Brinna reminded him.

"I seem to recall that you've also been on the receiving end of her skills," Canderous shot back at her.

"I'm sure she'll swindle all of us before this mission is done," Brinna replied placidly.

"You may have been foolish enough to lose to her, but I won't be," Jolee said, clipping his lightsaber to his belt.

"That's only because Brinna wouldn't cheat by using the Force to read into my next move, unlike you," Mission said to him.

"I do believe she has your number already," Brinna said, with a grin.

"Damnable cheek of the youth," Jolee grumbled, but Brinna saw the smile he tried to conceal as he bent down to grab his pack.

The three Jedi made their way out to the grove. What kath hounds they saw maintained their distance and Brinna could sense Juhani's shame. She looked over at the Cathari with a reassuring glance and Juhani looked grateful for the gesture.

Brinna could sense Juhani's discomfort as she set foot once again in the grove; however, Brinna thought it was necessary. She had devised the meditation plan the previous night, before she'd finally drifted off to sleep. Juhani was repentant over her fall to the dark side but Brinna had sensed that the Cathari was still having difficulty coming to terms with it. Brinna had decided that the best thing for Juhani would be to face her fall head on as much as possible.

They sat in a circle, each of them closing their eyes and tuning their senses in to the power of the Force. Juhani was reluctant and struggling with a mixture of fear, anger, and discomfort but Brinna and Jolee reached out to her via the Force and, gradually, Juhani's negative feelings dissipated until she was at peace.

Meditation had always been one of Brinna's favorite things about being a Jedi but now, here with her friends, it took on a new meaning for her. Though solo meditation was calming, allowing Brinna to really tune into the Force and filter out all other everyday distractions, it was even more calming to meditate amongst friends and to feel their presence within the Force. It made Brinna appreciate her connection to her Jedi brethren and instilled in her a sense of gratitude for the closeness that they could share.

When they had finished meditating, Juhani rose from the ground with a serene smile on her face. "Thank you, Brinna," she said quietly. "I was most anxious before we began but, once again, you have helped me to face and cope with my darker emotions. I am very grateful to you for your continuing care. It is good to be amongst friends."

"A little group meditation was good for this old Jedi too," Jolee agreed. "It's been far too long."

Brinna took Jolee's and Juhani's hands and squeezed them. "We were all brought together for this mission and though we started as complete strangers, I feel that you're now all my friends. None of us needs to feel alone as long as we're all together."

"My teeth are starting to hurt from all this sweet sentimentality," Jolee grumbled. "Can we go back to the ship now?"

"You always do know just the right thing to say," Brinna said with a grin.

They returned to the ship, and found Canderous arm wrestling with Zaalbar while Mission pounded the table and goaded the two of them. From the gleeful look on the young Twi'lek's face, Brinna guessed that Carth had made her very rich. He was on the other side of the common room, ignoring the arm wrestling competition and looking as though he was going to jump out of his skin.

"Hey," Brinna said, walking over to him.

"Hey," he replied.

"You look like you're going to start climbing the walls if something doesn't happen to you soon."

"I'm that transparent, am I?"

"Not really. I just know how much you hate being idle," Brinna told him.

He smiled ruefully. "The funny thing is, I'd love to be idle, utterly and completely idle…"

"Once this is all over with," Brinna finished for him.

Carth nodded. "Until then, I'm not going to be able to relax."

"Do you want to go for a walk? Work off some of that nervous energy?"

"That's the best suggestion I've heard all day."

As the two of them headed out, Brinna caught Jolee looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She glared half-heartedly at him in response.

Neither she nor Carth spoke as they walked through the enclave and out to the outer courtyard. They sat on one of the low walls and looked out onto the plains. Brinna hadn't realized just how long she, Jolee, and Juhani had been out meditating and she was surprised to see the long shadows that spoke of late afternoon.

"You know, you never did tell me about that necklace," Carth said gently, breaking into her thoughts.

Brinna reached involuntarily for her neck, her hand closing around the stone in the center of the leather strap. She had suspected that he would eventually raise the subject again and, really, after her endless harassment of him until he told her his tragic tale, the least she could do was share her own with him. She drew an unsteady breath and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear with a rather shaky hand before speaking.

"It belonged to my mother," she began. "I told you about my sister Amara. Well, when she was five, she and I were out 'exploring' and we stumbled across the stone. She thought it was the prettiest thing that she'd ever seen. Mom's birthday was a week away and Amara wanted to give the stone to Mom as a gift. I drilled it for her and helped her to string it on the leather lace." Brinna smiled as she remembered the expression on her sister's face when Brinna had handed her the finished project. "She thought it was a really special treasure and she could hardly wait until Mom's birthday. You should have seen the expression on her face when Mom opened it and proceeded to make a big deal over it."

She paused for a moment, organizing her thoughts. She stared out over the plains but didn't see them; she was too caught up in thoughts of the past. "Times had been tough ever since Dad's death. Mom was devastated and I had trouble coming to terms with it myself. Amara became our focus. As I said, she was only a baby when Dad died so we did our best to see to it that Amara would know her father as much as possible. We put a holo of him next to her crib and told her endless stories about him. Gradually, Mom and I started to get over the pain, thanks to Amara.

"I don't really know how to explain to you what she was like. From the moment she was born, Amara was the most beautiful child you could imagine. People used to tell us all the time how pretty she was. Everywhere she went, she charmed everyone she met. Mom and I loved her like crazy. She was our whole world."

"What happened to her?" Carth asked softly.

Brinna felt a lump in her throat and she swallowed. "She…she died. It was my fault," she said, her words becoming unintelligible as her emotions overwhelmed her, as they always did whenever she thought about that horrible day.

"That can't be true," Carth said gently.

"It is," Brinna insisted vehemently. She took a deep breath and did what she could to compose herself before she continued. "I'd been away on business a lot and I'd had to miss Amara's seventh birthday. I promised her that when I came home I'd spend the whole day with her, just the two of us. I was going to take her to the zoo, feed her junk food until she got sick, that sort of thing. She was so excited about it that she drove Mom crazy for a week, until I got home. We were supposed to go on our outing the day after I got home and Amara was wild with excitement. When it was time for her to go to sleep, I just fed her excitement even more. I sat on the edge of her bed and told her about all the fun things we were going to do the next day. She barely slept a wink that night.

"Amara was a very gifted child and I'd been working so hard because I was trying to earn enough to send her to a special school. I was scheduled to leave on a very lucrative trip in a few weeks but I got a call early the next morning informing me that the deal was about the fall through. I was in a panic. The job was supposed to pay enough for me to finally send Amara to her school and I couldn't let it fall through. I ran out of the house in a frenzy and told Mom to let Amara know that I'd be home shortly. I didn't think it would take me long, so I was sure that I could get home in time to keep my promise to Amara.

"Naturally, things were much worse than I'd imagined. It took me a whole day of meeting with the client to convince him not to renege on the deal and he would only maintain the agreement if I promised to leave the next day. By the time I got home, it was late and Amara was already in bed. Mom told me she'd cried herself to sleep. I felt awful, especially because I knew I wouldn't get a chance to see Amara before I left the next morning. But I told myself that I was doing it for her and that I'd make up for her disappointment."

Her voice broke and she covered her face with her hands as the old grief washed over her. "I just wanted what was best for her. That's all I ever wanted. I made a short holovid full of promises for her and left it with Mom when I left the next morning."

The tears were falling now and Brinna dashed at them futilely with her hands. She bowed her head forward, the loose tendrils of her hair spilling over the side of her face and screening her from Carth's view. It took several long minutes before she was able to continue and Carth sat silently at her side the whole time.

"Amara didn't care about the school," Brinna said in a small voice when she was able to continue. "She cared about me. She wanted me at home. For the five months leading up to her birthday, I'd been away so much that I hadn't seen her for more than a couple of days here and there. When she woke up the next morning and found out I was already gone, she was furious. Mom tried to talk to her, tried to explain to her but Amara wouldn't listen. She ran out of the house and disappeared for the whole day.

"There was a little wood near our house and she loved to climb the trees. Mom and I used to tease her and say that she was a Wookie in disguise. Mom figured she'd headed for the wood and would sit up in her favorite tree all day, having a good cry. When she didn't come home in time for dinner, Mom got scared and went to all the neighbors. They formed a search party and headed for the wood. It wasn't long before they found her."

Brinna could hear the deadness in her own voice. She could barely speak the next words because they dredged up such vivid and devastating memories. "She…she'd never fallen before, not once, but she must have been so upset that day that she lost her footing. It was impossible to tell how high up she'd been. She was lying on the ground, her head bent at an unnatural angle, her neck obviously broken. Mom fell completely apart and had to be sedated and carried back to the house. I had to hear the news from one of our neighbors. By that time, I was already almost a day away from home and I couldn't get that ship back fast enough. When I finally got home, I was so terrified by my mother's condition. She had to be kept sedated for days, otherwise she would cry and rant so hysterically that we were all afraid she'd hurt herself."

She was sobbing now and Carth put his arms around her, letting her sob against his shoulder. Brinna gave in to her overwhelming sadness and just cried and cried until she didn't have any tears left. When she was finished, she was hoarse and exhausted.

"When she wasn't crying, Mom was like a zombie. This went on for months," Brinna said, her voice muffled by Carth's shoulder. "She refused to take the necklace off. I know she loved me but even though I was all she had left, she still withdrew from me. I always suspected that she blamed me for what happened, even though she never said anything about it. Things just got strange and cold between us and I spent as little time at home as possible both because I wanted to forget and because I couldn't bear Mom's detached treatment of me when I was there."

"How can you think that was your fault?" Carth asked her. She could feel the slight rumble in his chest as he spoke.

"The same way you can think what happened to your wife and Dustil was your fault," she said, pushing away from him. "Like you, I've always been positive I didn't do everything I could to stop it from happening. I left. I wasn't there. If I'd just let the deal go, I would have taken her out like I was supposed to and she'd still be alive. That's how it was my fault."

"Brinna…" he said, his voice sounding stricken.

She shook her head. "Mom died a year ago. She'd been having heart problems for a while and I think she just gave up. After her death, I got rid of everything. I couldn't stand to look at any of it anymore. There were just too many memories. But I couldn't get rid of the necklace. I kept it so that I wouldn't forget, no matter how badly I wanted to."

"I know what you mean," he said, his voice so quiet it was barely audible. Gently, he took her hand. "Brinna, look at me."

Shaking her head, she tried to disengage her hand from his but he held fast. He reached out with his other hand and caught her chin, turning her head and forcing her to look at him.

"You showed me that I don't have to face my grief alone. Well, neither do you. Let me help you, like you've helped me," he said to her.

"I'm not sure I want the help," she confessed, her lips trembling as another tear fell.

"I know, but I'm helping you anyway, just like you insisted on helping me."

He pulled her into his arms once more and this time she didn't fight him. His fingers were gentle as he stroked her hair. He rocked her slowly, as if she were a child, and after a while peace returned to her. She allowed herself the indulgence of staying in his arms for just a moment longer before she pulled away.

"Thank you," she said, wiping at her eyes.

"Anytime," he said, giving her hand a quick squeeze.

"Give me a minute before we head back to the ship. I don't want anyone else seeing me like this," she said.

"Of course," he told her.

A gentle breeze blew over the plain and stirred the tall grasses. Brinna closed her eyes and lifted her face to it, allowing it to cool her burning cheeks and dry the last of her tears. She was more grateful for Carth's solid presence than she could say. Just having him there was enough to make her feel stronger than she'd felt since Amara's death.

On the way back to the Hawk, Carth chatted quietly about unimportant topics and Brinna was grateful for the distraction. Before boarding, she gently squeezed his hand and thanked him once more.

"Anytime," he repeated. "I mean that."

"I know," she said, smiling faintly at him.

They found the rest of the crew at dinner in the common room and though Brinna tried her best to be casual, she knew that Jolee, Juhani, and especially Bastila could sense that something was wrong with her. As soon as she was finished eating, she headed for the peace of the bunkroom, where she sat on her bunk and meditated.

A little while later, Mission poked her head into the room. "Hey. Do you want some company or should I go away?" the Twi'lek asked.

"Come on in," Brinna replied.

Mission dropped gently onto the edge of Brinna's bunk and studied her friend with some concern. "Are you okay? You seem a little…off tonight and you and Carth were gone for a really long time."

"I'm all right," Brinna assured her. "I was just telling him about my family."

"I take it that's a story you'd rather not repeat right now," Mission said, studying her.

Brinna shook her head. "No, not particularly."

"Some other time, then."

"I'm not sure I could ever bear repeating it," she said. Mission looked a little hurt and she added, "Not that I don't want you to know. It's just…very painful. Ask Carth to tell you. Tell him I said it's all right for him to talk about it with you."

"I'll do that," Mission promised. She put a hand over one of Brinna's. "I just hate to see you so sad, especially after all you did for Zaalbar and his family."

"I was glad to help him," Brinna said, clasping Mission's hand.

"Sometimes you just seem to be so lonely," Mission said gently. "I used to feel that way too, after my brother left. But then I found Big Z. I want you to know that I'll always be your friend. I hope that knowing that will make you feel a little less lonely."

"It makes me feel a lot less lonely," Brinna told her with a smile. "All of you…you're almost like a family to me."

"I know what you mean," Mission agreed. "We're a bizarre bunch but there's just something right about all of us being together, ya know?"

"Exactly," Brinna said, squeezing Mission's hand.

"Maybe you should get some sleep now," Mission suggested, standing up. "Me, I've got a few more credits to win from Canderous. He seems to think he can do better than Carth did this morning."

"Yeah, good luck!" Brinna scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, no one ever said Mandalorians were known for their brains," Mission said with a grin.

After the Twi'lek left, Brinna thought about what she'd told Mission. She did feel like her crew was her family now and the Jedi and their creed of "there is no emotion, there is peace" could be damned. For the first time in a very long time, she had a sense of belonging. She hadn't thought she'd ever find it again and now that she had, she was not about to let it go.


	18. Family Ghosts

The ship was filled with the hustle and bustle of the crew as they prepared for departure. Though Brinna felt that the one day's respite they'd taken on Dantooine had been necessary and well-deserved, she was anxious to be off and to continue on with the mission. She had a sense that she'd set something very large into motion and that things were moving more and more quickly and might soon spin out of control. She could not ignore the faint anxiety that this belief inspired in her and she found that she was growing more and more impatient to get the mission done, to ensure that they would find out whatever it was they needed to know before Malak could see any more of his plans come to fruition.

Brinna had assigned a task to every member of the crew, save for Bastila, who had slipped out of the ship early in the morning, presumably to meet with the Jedi Council once more before they left. Juhani had been the one to inform her of Bastila's absence and Brinna had done her best to suppress a rush of annoyance. She had asked Juhani to see if she could find out when Bastila was to return and the Cathari had nodded, her eyes sweeping over Brinna with an understanding gaze. Juhani knew the true source of Brinna's impatience, that much was obvious.

Swiftly, the ship cleared out until only she and Carth were left. The two of them were heading to the shop to replenish their supplies. Carth had been a bit hesitant around her all morning and she knew it was because of what had happened the previous day. She sensed that he wanted to be sure that he didn't push her outside of her comfort zone and for that she was immensely grateful to him. It seemed that he was the one member of her crew who worried about that; everyone else seemed more than happy to push her whenever they had half a chance.

"Ready to go?" he asked her as she attached her lightsabers to her belt.

"Yep," she replied, leading the way off the Hawk.

Outside, it was a bright and sunny day and Brinna lifted her face up toward the light, closing her eyes and letting it warm her skin. She took a deep breath and found that she was actually relieved to be getting off the ship, even for a little while. Though it was a well-proportioned vessel, she'd felt trapped inside its hull, another byproduct of her anxiety, she supposed.

"So did you talk to Mission?" Brinna asked Carth at last.

He glanced over at her. "Yeah. She found me earlier this morning. She said you told her it was okay…"

"I did," Brinna said, laying a reassuring hand on Carth's arm to quell the slight nervousness she'd heard in his tone. "Did you tell her everything?"

"Everything you told me."

"Thank you. I…I don't think I could have told that story again. Yesterday was the first time in a very long time that I talked about it. It…it brought it all back to me. I wanted Mission to know but I couldn't go through that again. Not this soon."

"I know," Carth said, his voice solemn.

Of course he knew. That was just one of many reasons why she'd told Mission to ask Carth to tell the story. Brinna had known that his retelling would be faithful and sensitive. She had also known that he would understand why she couldn't bear the retelling herself.

"What was her reaction?" Brinna asked, looking over at him.

"She was surprised and upset to hear about it. She wants to talk to you but she's afraid of saying the wrong thing. I told her that shouldn't stop her, since it's something you never seem to worry about yourself."

Brinna felt a rush of relief at the jest and she looked over at Carth with a smile. He looked rather apprehensive, as if he was afraid that he'd said something that would upset her but when he saw her smile, he smiled in response.

"Thanks, Carth. I'll talk to her."

She wanted to say more but they had arrived at the shop and for a while she forgot about her own sad story as she and Carth haggled with the shopkeeper and traded their unnecessary items. They were heading back toward the ship, chatting idly, when they heard a voice calling out.

"Carth! Carth Onasi is that you?"

His entire body went rigid and Brinna looked at him with concern. His face had gone white and he turned toward the voice very, very slowly, as if he could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"Jordo?" he asked, looking at the dark skinned man in the tunic who had called out.

"It is you, isn't it?" the man named Jordo asked. His voice was warm and jovial. "I knew it when I laid eyes on you! You old spacedog, how have you been? I thought for sure you'd be fighting on some ship out there."

"I was. I crashed," Carth said, rather lamely.

He seemed almost shell-shocked and Brinna was surprised that Jordo had apparently not noticed his friend's discomfort. She could tell from the rigid set of Carth's shoulders that Jordo was a part of the past that Carth had tried so desperately to ignore by redirecting his grief to his quest for vengeance against Saul. With sudden clarity, she realized just how much Carth had insulated himself against his past, for now that he was faced with someone from it, he did not seem to know what to do with himself.

Jordo continued on, seemingly oblivious. He slapped his knee and laughed at Carth's comment. "That's pretty rich. I can't imagine what it would take to keep you on the ground. Must have something to do with your pretty friend here, hey? How do you do, miss?"

Brinna could feel herself turn red from head to toe at the remark. She was done with denying her own attraction to Carth but after listening to him pour his heart out about what had happened to his family and his need to avenge their deaths, she had decided that there was likely no place for her in Carth's life, even if he was remotely attracted to her in any way. The thought had hurt her more than she cared to admit and Jordo's innocent comment brought that hurt back to the forefront of her mind.

"Nice to meet you, Jordo," Brinna said lamely.

"So what are you doing here, Jordo?" Carth asked, as if he hadn't heard his friend's last comment. Was it too much for her to hope he hadn't? "The last time I saw you was on, um…well, Telos, actually."

Her suspicions were confirmed. She turned to look at Jordo and saw that the smile he'd been wearing the entire conversation was immediately wiped off his face. Brinna watched as Jordo suddenly eyed Carth, as if he had finally realized to whom he was talking. Discomfort was clear on Jordo's face and he seemed to be considering his words carefully before he spoke again.

"Yeah…it's a shame about home. Telos still hasn't recovered. The family and I moved on and I'm working for Czerka now. I didn't see you after…er, what I mean is, my condolences on your wife. I heard what happened. At least your boy made it through alright."

Brinna eyes went wide at this information and she snapped her head around to look at Carth. For a moment, he looked completely dumbfounded and then Jordo's words began to penetrate. She could see the torrent of emotions in his eyes as he tried to comprehend what he'd just learned.

"My…boy? You mean…Dustil?"

His face was whiter than ever and she took an involuntary step toward him. She wanted to take his hand but she forced herself to be still. The last time she'd seen such shock on another human being's face was when she'd first laid eyes on her mother when she returned home after Amara's death. It had been excruciating then and it was now. Brinna wanted nothing more than to comfort him, just as she'd wanted to comfort her mother, but she wasn't sure he'd accept that comfort.

"Yes, of course," Jordo replied. Brinna reluctantly tore her eyes away from Carth to look at his friend once more. She watched anxiously as the expression of discomfort on Jordo's face deepened. All of the assurance that had been present in his voice at the start of the conversation had dissipated by the time he continued. "I saw him at my last stop, on Korriban, though he didn't recognize me. You…didn't know he was there?"

"No! Jordo, Dustil has been missing since the attack on Telos! Are you…are you absolutely certain it was him?" She could hear the mixture of desperation and disbelief in his voice and it made her heart ache.

"Yeah. I'd recognize Dustil anywhere. Positive. He's, uh…he's joined the Sith, Carth…"

Brinna winced as Jordo delivered this piece of news and there was a second of silence. She looked over at Carth, who looked as though Jordo had suddenly started speaking to him in an unknown language.

"What do you mean he's joined the Sith?" Carth asked.

"There's an Academy for the Sith on Korriban. He's a student there. I saw him suited up in their outfit and everything. Sorry…I thought you knew."

Jordo looked like he'd like nothing better than to run away and never look back and Brinna found herself feeling sorry for him. She couldn't imagine what could be much worse than delivering such a devastating piece of news to a friend that he hadn't seen for the last four years.

"No…no, I…I didn't. Well, thanks for telling me, Jordo," Carth replied.

"Sure, no problem. Good to see you again, Carth. Hope everything works out with Dustil."

With those words, poor Jordo scrambled off as if he was being pursued by a pack of ravenous kath hounds. Brinna turned her attention to Carth once more. The look on his face spoke of renewed hope mixed with a healthy does of fear.

"Dustil…Dustil is alive! We have to go to the Korriban Academy and find him!"

"I understand. We'll go as soon as possible," Brinna told him.

"Thank you. I…I just have to see him. I have to know what happened to him. All this time I thought he was…he must be a man by now…"

As she listened to him speak, as she watched the myriad of emotions he was feeling play across his face, Brinna instantly resolved that Korriban would be their next stop. She had been thinking about going on to Tatooine but those thoughts were swept aside. Carth had gone four long years thinking his son was dead and now that he'd discovered that Dustil was still alive, Brinna was not going to deny him one more moment with his son. Still, she was apprehensive about what they would find on Korriban, even more so when she allowed herself to focus on Carth's emotions and she felt his determination. After all he'd suffered, after everything he'd been through, she frantically hoped that his reunion with his son would give him some relief from his pain but she feared that it might only cause an increase in that pain, especially considering that Dustil had joined the Sith.

_The Sith! How could he join the Sith?_ she wondered in disbelief as she and Carth hastily made their way back to the ship. She thought of everything Carth had told her and her sense of uneasiness grew. _Is it that easy for them to snare someone? Can they really go around destroying worlds with the result that the people from those worlds end up joining them in the destruction of other worlds?_

She thought about Taris, about what she'd felt as those laser canons had obliterated its surface. Revulsion made her throat feel so thick that for a moment it was difficult to breathe. She had seen first hand the destruction that the Sith were capable of and it frankly frightened her to think that someone else who'd witnessed it could end up joining in their cause.

The rest of the crew was in the common room and they looked up as Brinna and Carth entered. Even the non-Jedi were able to sense that something monumental had occurred. She glanced over at Carth and saw that he was still as white as a sheet, though his eyes burned with determination and she could see from the way the others were eyeing her that she must not have looked anything short of shell-shocked herself.

"We're heading to Korriban," Brinna found herself saying, her voice somewhat shaky.

Just as she was trying to decide how to explain her decision, Carth dropped the supplies he'd been carrying and hurried off for the cockpit. Everyone turned to watch him go, surprise written clearly on their faces. When he was gone, they turned their gazes back on her and she found herself squirming a bit. She knew she needed to tell them what was going on but she was unsure of how to do it without giving away more of Carth's past than what he'd want known.

"Carth…" she began, taking a deep breath and gathering what composure she could. "Carth's just learned that his son is at the Sith Academy on Korriban."

"His son?" Mission asked, staring at Brinna in confusion.

"Carth had a son on Telos when it was attacked. He thought Dustil was dead but we just ran into an old friend of Carth's who says he saw Dustil at the Academy."

Everyone exchanged looks with everyone else but no one said anything for a long moment.

"Wow," Mission breathed, finally breaking the silence.

That response seemed to sum up the thoughts of the other crew members and they all nodded. She could see Canderous looking off toward the cockpit with thoughtful eyes and she wondered how this new information about Carth would color Canderous's perception of the other man.

"Were you all able to get everything done that you needed to get done?" Brinna asked, calling their attention back to her. Everyone nodded. "Good. Then we can take off as soon as we've run through the preflight checklist. Canderous, Zaalbar, Mission, can you see to these supplies? Jolee, Juhani, Bastila, can you do a sweep of the ship and prepare everything for takeoff? I'll be up in the cockpit."

Everyone scurried off to carry out their tasks and Brinna turned and headed for the cockpit. Carth was bent over the controls, concentration written on his face as he ran through the preflight check.

"Do you want to talk?" Brinna asked hesitantly as she slid into the co-pilot's seat and began calculating their course to Korriban. She tried to concentrate on her task but she was so distracted that she had to start over twice.

"Talk about what?" Carth asked in a brusque voice. He didn't even glance up at her as he continued with his tasks. "The only thing I want to do right now is find Dustil. If he's alive…well there's just nothing else I want to think about."

"I understand," she said.

He didn't acknowledge the statement and she tried her best to ignore the pang it caused her. She knew he wasn't brushing her off to be rude. She could only imagine what it would be like to be in his shoes. Still, the brush off hurt her, even though she told herself that she was being selfish by focusing on her own hurts just when he needed her most.

Brinna and Carth took first shift and there was no further conversation between them. It was clear that he was deep in thought and she had learned earlier that day that it would be best to leave him to it. She only hoped that their trip to Korriban would prove a success. The more she thought about it, the more apprehensive she grew.

Canderous and Jolee came to relieve Carth and Brinna several hours later. Carth was off the instant they arrived.

"Has he talked at all?" Jolee asked her as he settled himself in the captain's chair.

Brinna sighed wearily. "No. He didn't want to talk. He said the only thing he wanted to do was find his son."

Jolee nodded gravely. "I just hope for his sake that all will go well."

"Don't count on it, old man," Canderous said. "Soldier's son is Sith now. I can't imagine he'll be too thrilled when his Republic daddy shows up."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Brinna said with a sigh.

"Then I at least hope that this boy won't betray our purpose," Jolee said.

"That's why I'm only taking Carth and Canderous into that academy with me," Brinna informed him. "If anything happens to us, the rest of you have to leave us behind and carry on with this mission."

Jolee opened his mouth to object but Canderous beat him to the punch. "If anything happens to us?" he asked. "You disappoint me, Jedi. You may intend to sacrifice yourself nobly but I intend to get off that planet alive."

"Thanks, Canderous, it's good to know where your priorities lie," Brinna said dryly.

"Oh, don't you worry. I'll drag your sorry butt off that planet and Soldier's too, if necessary."

"I'd say it's a good thing you're taking the Mandalorian with you," Jolee said casually. "Personally, I'd just leave the dead weight behind."

Brinna laughed, relieved that Jolee had managed to bring some levity to the situation. "Dead weight? If it weren't for me you'd still be climbing trees on Kashyyyk."

"We should have just left him to deal with those poachers on his own," Canderous said, still sounding aggrieved that Jolee had asked them to deal with such a petty task.

"If I'd known it was going to be such a challenge for you, sonny, I would have found someone more capable," Jolee replied.

Canderous turned to Jolee with a challenging smile and Brinna cuffed Jolee on the shoulder. "He's blood-thirsty enough without you provoking him," she told Jolee.

"No provocation is necessary. Breathing makes a Mandalorian blood-thirsty," Jolee grumbled.

"I don't think I trust you two up here alone," Brinna said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe I should send Bastila up here to keep an eye on you?"

"She'll make good on that threat," Canderous informed Jolee.

"Listen to the Mandalorian. He knows me better than you do," Brinna advised.

"Don't think you can order me around, missy," Jolee sniffed. "I was wielding a lightsaber before you were even a twinkle in your mother's eye. I was off saving the universe while you were still in diapers."

"Spoken like someone who envies youth," Brinna said, waving him off. "I'll leave you two old men to it, then."

Their indignant protests followed her down the corridor and she couldn't help but smile again. Some instinct made her reach out to Bastila through their bond and what she felt made her frown. Bastila was disturbed about something and whatever it was, it was pretty serious. Though Brinna already knew that Bastila was not nearly as serene as she tried to appear, Brinna had never before sensed such distress from the other Jedi.

Juhani, Mission, and Zaalbar were in the common room as Brinna passed through on her way to the bunkrooms. Mission was listening raptly as Juhani told her about her early days as a Jedi. The Cathari looked up at Brinna as she entered, sensing her presence before she walked into the room.

"I'll be in the bunkroom," she said and Juhani nodded, instantly understanding what Brinna left unspoken. She knew that Juhani would have sensed Bastila's distress as well and she was willing to bet that even if Juhani had tried to question Bastila about it, the outcome had been unsuccessful.

"Bastila? It's Brinna," Brinna said softly as she entered the room.

"I knew you were coming. There was no need for you to announce yourself," Bastila told her. She was sitting on her bunk pretending to study a datapad but Brinna knew that she'd been staring at the same information for the last half hour without processing any of it.

"I know that," Brinna said, making a sour face. "I thought I would at least feign politeness."

"I apologize. I have received some…disturbing news today," Bastila confessed with a sigh. She set her datapad aside and looked up at Brinna.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Brinna asked.

Bastila looked away from Brinna, fixing her gaze on the wall on the other side of the room. "I told you about my family. When I was on my way to see the Masters today, I ran into a woman who knew my mother. She told me that my mother is on Tatooine and that she is ill. Apparently, my mother is looking for me."

Brinna was startled. "I'm sorry, Bastila."  
"Thank you," the other Jedi said quietly. "I know I said that my mother and I never got on well but I feel that it's my…responsibility to go see her, though I am not certain what it is she wants with me."

"We'll go to Tatooine after Korriban," Brinna promised her.

"I believe that would be for the best."

Brinna wanted to say something more about Bastila's mother but she could sense Bastila's reluctance to discuss the issue any further and so she changed the subject. "Bastila, there may be some people on Korriban who would recognize you. I think it best if you stay on the ship."

"You may be right. It would be in our best interests if I remained on the ship. You intend to take Carth and Canderous with you?"

"Yes," Brinna said.

_Damn the bond,_ she thought, wishing there was some way for her to lock Bastila out of her head for good. _Here comes the lecture._

Fortunately for Brinna, she seemed to have managed to keep that thought from her companion as she saw no hint of the annoyance she was sure Bastila would have felt if she'd sensed Brinna's thought. Instead, Bastila wore a careful expression on her face.

"Are you certain that's wise? The presence of the dark side is very…heavy on Korriban. It will be difficult for you. It would be difficult for any Jedi who set foot on the planet. Perhaps it would be best if you were to take Jolee along with you?"

Brinna sighed. "I appreciate your concern and I understand it. The truth is, I would have as few of us as possible exposed to the power of the dark side on Korriban. I know that if you stay on the ship, you will still feel it but not nearly as strongly as you would in the academy."

"It is admirable that you wish to protect your Jedi kin but you will need to protect yourself as well."

"I need to fight this battle, Bastila. If I am to complete this mission, I need to face Korriban head on. I'm not saying it will be easy, but I know I can do it. Besides, I can't run from the dark side forever."

Bastila frowned and Brinna once more sensed the strange wall that Bastila erected on occasion. There was something Bastila wasn't telling her, she was certain of it. She didn't appreciate Bastila keeping things from her but, at the same time, she could hardly blame her. Brinna herself did her best to keep what she could from Bastila.

"If you begin to fall…" Bastila began, speaking carefully.

"Carth won't let me," Brinna interrupted. "You know that. If he sees me slipping, he'll stop me."

"Carth is preoccupied with thoughts of his son. Moreover, he is no Jedi. Great Masters have failed to protect themselves against the dark side. There is nothing that someone like Carth can do to protect you."

"Then you'll have to trust me," Brinna said, trying to keep her temper in check.

"It is not about trusting or not trusting."

"You'll know, won't you?" Brinna asked. She was tired of the argument. She was not about to change her mind about who she was taking with her and she didn't feel like discussing it any further with Bastila.

"Yes, I will know," Bastila reluctantly admitted.

"Well, if you sense me falling, you can send Jolee and Juhani after me."

"Very well," Bastila said, pressing her lips into a tight line. She had turned back into the ice princess and Brinna knew there'd be no further conversation between the two of them at present.

_Why do I always do that?_ Brinna asked herself. _Why do I always insist on fighting with her?_

_Because she tries to tell you what to do,_ a small voice answered. _She wants to control you. The Council wants to control you. You have to show them that you can't be controlled._

_No, she's just trying to protect me, _she insisted to herself, trying her best to ignore the insidious small voice. _So why do I keep rejecting her protection?_

_Because she's keeping something from you,_ the faint voice said. _How can you trust her when you know she's holding something back? Why should you trust her…_

_Don't listen. It's trying to tempt me…_

Disconcerted, Brinna glanced over at Bastila. Though the other Jedi was trying to pretend to take no notice of Brinna's presence, Brinna could see something flicker in Bastila's eye and she knew that the other Jedi had sensed something of the conflict within her.

_It will only get more difficult…_

Brinna didn't want to think about that. Things were complicated enough. She pushed the thought out of her mind and closed herself off to the insidious little voice as best she could. She was going to prove to Bastila that the dark side would not find a willing servant in her. More importantly, she was going to prove it to herself.


	19. Entering the Academy

It stood there before her, its lights almost blinding in the dusty gloom. The air was heavy and oppressive and Brinna could not shake the feeling that an unseen presence was watching her…

She woke with a shiver. Without even really thinking about what she was doing, she dressed hurriedly and went out into the common room to find Bastila. She knew immediately that Bastila had once more shared the "vision" with her. Oblivious to the stares of the rest of the crew, Brinna began to talk with Bastila about what they'd seen. Though it shouldn't have surprised her anymore, considering it was the third time she'd shared a vision with Bastila, it still left a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach to learn that every detail of her dream was in perfect agreement with Bastila's description of her own vision.

"I don't envy you having Princess crawling around in your head," Canderous muttered to Brinna. He was loitering by the caffa as she poured herself a mug.

"You have no idea," she said, running a tired hand back through her hair and taking a long sip from her mug. She looked at Carth and saw that he was staring blankly ahead, turning his mug in slow circles over and over again.

"Still think it's a good idea to bring him along on this mission?" Canderous asked.

"It's better than my idea to bring you along," Brinna snapped at him. He gave her a cool glance and she sighed. "Look, I shouldn't have snapped at you. It was a legitimate question. I'm just a little uneasy after this latest vision. Anyway, you know we have to take Carth with us. I can't let him go on like this, torturing himself wondering what happened to his son. Besides, he's never failed us before and I know he won't now."

"I guess it'll be up to me to look after you two, then," Canderous remarked casually.

Brinna eyed him suspiciously. "What did Jolee say to you?"

"He told me he'd find very unpleasant uses for the Force for me if I didn't make sure that you don't succumb to the dark side while we're on that Sith-infested planet."

She couldn't help but smile wryly. "Wonderful. I got a lecture from Bastila last night and now this. I'm glad to know that everyone has such confidence in me."

Canderous grinned at her. "Cheer up. They just underestimate you, just like they underestimate me. None of them are smart enough to realize our superiority."

"You're not the least bit egotistical are you?" Brinna asked with a smile.

"I only speak truth," Canderous said.

"Maybe I'll go ahead and let Jolee use the Force on you, even if you do manage to help me get back to this ship in one piece when all is said and done."

"Now that's gratitude."

"Did you really expect anything less from me?"

Brinna cuffed Canderous on the arm and left him to go sit by Carth. The others were occupied and Brinna took advantage of this to seize a private moment with him.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he said grimly.

"Carth, whatever happens down there, remember that you're not in this alone. I'm here."

"I know," he said, placing a hand briefly over hers. "And I appreciate it."

He left the common room and headed toward the equipment bay. Brinna let him go. She figured that he could probably use a little time to himself.

A minute later, Juhani's voice came over the comm, telling everyone to strap in for landing. They touched down smoothly and Brinna and Canderous were up and out of their seats the second the ship ceased to move. They met up with Carth at the loading bay, waiting tensely for the ramp to be lowered.

They were stopped at the spaceport doors by a Twi'lek with the Korriban Port Authority. He asked them for a twenty-five credit docking fee. As Brinna handed it over to him, he commented on her being a Jedi. She asked if many Jedi came through Korriban and was sorry to hear that the Twi'lek had seen quite a few. Apparently, there were more and more Jedi defecting to the Sith cause every day. The information made Brinna set her mouth into a grim line.

As soon as she had set foot on the planet, she had found herself thinking how glad she was that she'd decided to leave her fellow Jedi behind on the ship. They wouldn't be immune to the dark energies pulsing through the planet but at least they would be more sheltered from it than Brinna would be once she found some way of getting into that academy. She had felt the lure of the dark side a few times but it was nothing like the pull she felt once she was on Korriban's surface. She could only imagine that it would get worse once she was in the academy and she found herself thinking that perhaps she shouldn't have received Bastila's lecture so harshly the previous night. Bastila may be younger than Brinna but Brinna had to admit that there were things that Bastila knew that Brinna did not, however loath to admit it Brinna might be. Brinna had never been foolish enough to think it would be easy to resist the temptation of the dark side but she had secretly scoffed and rolled her eyes at Bastila's many lectures. She now found that she understood why Bastila had been so intent on beating the information into her head.

"Are you all right?" Canderous asked her.

"I'm as all right as I will be as long as we're here," Brinna told him. "Let's just do what we need to do and get off this planet as fast as possible."

"Got it," Canderous replied with a nod.

They left the spaceport but made it no more than a few meters down the corridor leading into the Dreshdae settlement before they had their first unpleasant encounter with the Sith. A young man by the name of Shaardan had three hopefuls before him and it appeared that the unfortunate three had done something to displease Shaardan. He was busy threatening them when Brinna, Carth, and Canderous walked up and as soon as the hopefuls caught sight of Brinna and her companions, they turned and appealed to them for help.

Shaardan didn't exactly look pleased by this turn of events but he asked Brinna for her opinion as to how the hopefuls should be punished. She asked what they had done and was completely stunned when Shaardan informed her that they hadn't done anything but that he intended to punish them just the same.

This, then, was the power of the dark side that Bastila had warned her about, the Sith evil against which Carth had so valiantly fought. Throughout her career, Brinna had run into many unsavory characters but she had never before met anyone who was so depraved that it caused a shiver to run up her spine.

Using her best persuasive tone, Brinna told Shaardan that he should let the hopefuls go because they weren't worth his time. Unfortunately for her, her persuasive words did not have the desired effect in this instance and she watched, horrified, as Shaardan called on the Force. Bolts of lightening shot from his fingers and the hopefuls went down with a chorus of horrific screams. Cold as ice, Shaardan turned on his heel and walked away. The scent of charred flesh was heavy in the air and Brinna didn't realize what she was doing until she felt Canderous laying a restraining hand on her arm.

"Easy now," he growled into her ear. "You don't know what the situation is. He could have a whole battalion waiting for him just around the corner."

Though she knew Canderous was right, it took all of Brinna's strength not to chase after Shaardan and strike him down. She had never thought that the phrase "seeing red" could possibly be true until that very moment. Her hands had automatically gone to the lightsabers at her belt and Brinna found that she was shaking as she lowered them to her sides.

"Do you need me to go get the old man or the Cathari?" Canderous asked. She was astonished to hear a note of worry in his voice.

"No," she said, taking a shaky breath. "I can handle this. I lost it there for a minute but now I know I need to be on my guard."

Carth was staring at her in concern and she knew that her reaction must have been pretty strong to have yanked him out of the trancelike state he'd been in ever since he'd heard that Dustil was alive and well.

"Come on, let's go," Brinna said, deliberately turning her back on the bodies of the three unfortunate hopefuls and pressing forward.

She did her best to compose herself but it took several minutes and some silent chanting of the Jedi Code to stop the trembling in her hands. Never before had she experienced such senseless violence and it had shocked her to her very core. As if what she had witnessed wasn't bad enough, she could not stop thinking of her own reaction to it. She'd been plenty angry before, had even entertained thoughts of violence against those who had provoked her ire, but she had never before come so close to striking out in anger as she had at that moment.

_Maybe you can't handle this,_ she thought. _Maybe you should go back to the ship and get Juhani or Jolee. _

_No! I won't have them exposed to this. I'm strong enough to defeat it; I just can't be stupid enough to let my guard down again. If it drains every last bit of strength from me, I'm going to get that Star Map and get us the hell off this planet without allowing either Juhani or Jolee to take a single step into that damned academy._

They had barely recovered from their first run-in with one of the Sith Academy students before they had another. Just beyond the corridor was a large room and almost as soon as Brinna set foot in it, she found herself accosted by a hostile young blonde who clearly had issues with the Jedi who had defected from the Order and joined the academy.

Before Brinna could react, Canderous stepped in front of her and said, "You should turn around and move along, kid. You don't want the trouble we'd give you."

The student haughtily replied to Canderous by asking him if he had any idea how many Sith were on Korriban, to which the Mandalorian replied, "Not enough to save your sorry self."

Undaunted, the girl continued to harass Brinna, who wearily told the Sith that she wasn't looking for trouble but that she wasn't there as a source of amusement for the Sith student and her companions. The Sith girl probably could have spent the rest of the day trying to goad Brinna into a fight but her fellow students grew bored and drew her away from Brinna and her companions.

"Nice kids," Carth remarked as they watched the students leave.

From the way he clenched his jaw, Brinna guessed that he was thinking about Dustil counting himself among such illustrious people and she found herself worrying about Carth more than ever. Aside from being told that Dustil was, indeed, dead, Brinna knew that his being told that Dustil had joined the Sith was the worst thing that could possibly have happened. For her part, Brinna was convinced that the Sith must have done some serious brain washing when it came to Dustil. How else could she explain why he'd joined the very organization that had killed his mother and bombed his home planet into oblivion?

They stopped to do a little trading in the Czerka shop, unloading some of their unneeded items. Brinna had hoped to learn a little more about the academy from the Czerka employees but it soon became clear that no one outside of the Sith knew much about the academy.

Their next stop was the cantina where they found a couple of pilots who'd been loading Sith artifacts and shipping them to Taris before Malak had blown it to bits. Brinna was very interested to hear about these artifacts, although the pilots couldn't tell her much about them. They were, however, able to tell her that the artifacts had been discovered in the valley on the other side of the academy. According to them, there was no way to sneak into the valley unseen. The only people allowed in it were the Sith students and their teachers.

"Well, it looks like we now have another reason for finding a way into that academy," Brinna told Carth and Canderous as the three of them sat sipping and drinks and discussing what they'd learned.

"How do you propose to do that?" Canderous asked her.

Brinna sighed. "It looks like I'm going to have to pose as a turncoat and try to get into the academy as a student myself."

"What?" Carth asked, staring at her like she was crazy.

"It's the only way we're going to get out into that valley. If the Sith are pulling ancient dark side artifacts out of there, then the Star Map must be there as well."

"You can't do this. It's crazy. If they find out who you are…" Carth protested, but Brinna cut him off.

"It's a chance I'll have to take," she told him.

"I agree with Soldier," Canderous chimed in. "There must be some other way to get into that valley and find that Star Map. If the Sith find out your true mission, you're dead meat."

"There is no other way," Brinna said firmly. "You heard what those pilots said. It's a risk I'm going to have to take. We have to find that Star Map or we won't have any hope of stopping Malak."

"Then I'm going in there with you," Carth said.

"So am I," Canderous added.

"No way," Brinna told them. "How am I supposed to explain why you two are following me everywhere I go?"

"You'll just have to think of something," Canderous told her. He finished his drink and stood up from the table. "Now, let's see if we can figure out how to get you into that academy."

Brinna tried her best to dissuade Canderous and Carth but her continued protests fell on deaf ears and, exasperated, she finally gave up. Though she didn't want them exposed to the kind of danger that would be present in the Sith Academy, Brinna had to admit to herself that she was a little relieved that Carth and Canderous had insisted on going with her. It was difficult for her to admit, but she felt that it would be wise for her to have someone watching over her, making sure that she didn't stray from her mission.

They made their way out of Dreshdae and toward the academy building. As soon as they stepped through the settlement's doors, they were afforded a view of Korriban's bleak surface. The planet was one large, dusty wasteland.

"Nice place," Brinna commented as they stood surveying the scene.

"It's appropriate at least," Carth said tightly. "Since the Sith are so fond of making wastelands of other worlds, it's only fair that their own should be a wasteland."

"Well, now I can see why there's no sneaking into the valley," Canderous said, shading his eyes and gazing past the academy. "There's nowhere to hide."

The words sent a shiver up Brinna's spine. "What's going on over there?" she asked, pointing in the direction of the academy. She could see someone in a Sith Academy uniform standing across from what appeared to be three hopefuls. Something about the scene didn't sit right with her. Through the Force, she could sense the malice of the academy student but she had yet to run into an academy student who didn't ooze malice so there had to be more to it than that.

Her instincts proved correct. She learned from one of the hopefuls that the young man in the academy uniform was named Mekel and that he was conducting some sort of test. Brinna frowned and walked over to Mekel to ask him what was happening. She was something less than surprised to learn that his "test" was no real test at all, that he was, essentially, torturing the hopefuls, telling them to stand in place just to see if they would continue doing so until they collapsed.

"Oh what a sweet guy," Carth said under his breath. "He should get the Sith congeniality medal."

Brinna tried her best to sweet talk Mekel into letting the hopefuls go but he would not relent. He did decide to go to the cantina for a meal, so Brinna tried her best to convince the hopefuls that the "test" had been nothing more than a lie. One of them thanked her and ran off to try to find another way of getting into the academy. Another dropped dead before her eyes and the third refused to believe her.

"You did what you could," Carth said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't enough," Brinna said. She had curled her hands into such tight fists that her trim nails bit into the flesh of her palms.

"You can't save everyone," he told her sadly.

"I will save your son!" she vowed, turning toward him with a flashing gaze.

He looked a little taken aback by her vehement statement but she could also see that her words had offered him some comfort. "I know," he responded.

"We're not going to be saving anyone if we don't find a way into that academy," Canderous pointed out gruffly. "Somehow, I don't think that guard is just going to let us walk right through the doors."

"No, but maybe he can tell us something useful," Brinna said.

As expected, the soldier refused them entrance. However, Brinna was able to get him to tell her that a Sith Master named Yuthura Ban was in charge of new recruits and that he believed that she had gone to the cantina.

"Looks like we'll be having a little chat with Yuthura Ban," Brinna said as they made their way back to the cantina.

Yuthura Ban turned out to be a lovely violet Twi'lek with an intricately tattooed face. Her Force aura was very powerful. There was a great deal of anger in her but Brinna sensed something under the surface and knew that there was more to Yuthura Ban than met the eye.

Brinna engaged the Twi'lek in conversation and couldn't help but listen in fascinated disbelief to what Yuthura had to say. Brinna had always wondered how the Sith had managed to draw so many into their web, but as she listened to Yuthura, it all became pretty clear to her. Though she knew full well that there were plenty of people out there who were happy to join the Sith just for the sake of attaining power, she had always wondered how those who had seemed to be good could possibly have been fooled by the Sith. Yuthura had many interesting and creative explanations for the depravity of the Sith and it didn't take Brinna long to see how such explanations could play on an impressionable mind. Talking to Yuthura was a sobering lesson in the malleability of the humanoid psyche and it did not sit well with Brinna.

Finally, Yuthura asked Brinna if she was interested in joining the Sith and Brinna faced her greatest mental challenge yet. Yuthura was no fool, as Brinna was certain many before her had learned. Lying through her teeth and yet managing to successfully convince Yuthura that she had a burning interest in joining the Sith would be difficult. Fortunately, the Force was with her and though Yuthura seemed a bit suspicious, she bought Brinna's lies and consented to accept Brinna into the academy. She then asked about Brinna's companions and Brinna said the first thing that came into her head: she told Yuthura that Carth and Canderous were her slaves.

At the mention of the word, Yuthura's eyes darkened and Brinna sensed some very malevolent emotions coming from the Twi'lek. This, however, lasted no more than a few seconds and Brinna almost wondered if she'd imagined the whole thing.

Yuthura escorted Brinna into the academy, where they met in a round room with Master Uthar, the head of the academy, and three other prospective Sith. Brinna wasn't surprised to see that her competition consisted of Mekel, Shaardan, and the blonde girl who had harassed them in Dreshdae. She listened impatiently as Uthar spouted yet more Sith rhetoric, which had the other students practically eating out of his hand. When he questioned Brinna, she found that she was tired of lying and so she answered him honestly, making it quite clear that she found the Sith morally repugnant.

Brinna could sense Carth and Canderous's amazement and disbelief, which only grew stronger at Master Uthar's response. Rather than striking her down where she stood, he seemed almost pleased by the honesty of her responses. Brinna realized that he was looking forward to doing what he could to strip her Jedi ideology away and watch her turn into another Sith automaton.

Uthar stopped speaking at last and Brinna was escorted to her quarters, which consisted of an open room with a small bunk and a footlocker. She noted that all of the rooms in the academy were like this, even the room inhabited by Yuthura Ban, who was just on the other side of Brinna.

"How nice. They can spy on us at will," Brinna muttered when she was alone with her two companions.

"Your slaves?" Canderous asked, looking at her with an upraised eyebrow.

"You two insisted on coming in here with me and you told me to come up with something to explain your presence, so I did. Deal with it. Considering our extreme lack of privacy, you'd better put on a convincing performance or you'll blow our cover," she hissed.

"Yes, Master," Canderous said sarcastically.

"We'd better lay low for tonight. As much as I'd like to find Dustil and the Star Map and hightail it out of here, we'd better take things slow or we'll draw unwanted attention to ourselves," Brinna said.

"Right," Carth said. He was eyeing the volcanic rock walls of the room with distaste, looking as though he was going to fly out of his skin at any moment.

"We'll look for Dustil first thing in the morning," Brinna told him. "In the meantime, I suggest we all get some sleep."

"There's nothing like the comforts of a solid rock floor under your back," Canderous remarked.

"I hardly think it would do for the three of us to share this bed," Brinna told him. A second later, she realized what she'd said and she blushed from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. Carth was too preoccupied to catch what she had said but Canderous leered at her as he stretched out next to the bunk. She shot him a dirty look and then turned her back to him.

Even though it had been her idea for them to get some sleep, she knew that she would get precious little—if any—herself. Though Carth and Canderous didn't look entirely comfortable, they were not Force Sensitive and Brinna knew that they weren't experiencing even half of what she was.

The dark side was so strong on Korriban that she was half-convinced she could see it coating the walls with a slimy, black ooze. It was like a beast crouching, ready to spring on unwary prey. The walls emitted a thrumming noise so low that it was nearly out of her range of hearing but once she heard it, it seemed to grow louder and more insistent until she felt like her heart was beating in tandem with its rhythm. Her blood seemed to flow through her veins in time with its tempo and she knew that if she was to just close her eyes and let go…

"Are you all right?" Carth asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"What?" she asked, dazed.

"You looked like you were in a trance or something. It's this place, isn't it? It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I can't imagine what it's doing to you."

"It's trying to devour me," Brinna blurted.

Now Carth looked really concerned. "Brinna, maybe Canderous was right. Maybe we should go back for Jolee or Juhani…"

"No," she said, a little too loudly. She lowered her voice before she continued. "I don't want them going through this too, especially not Juhani, not after what she's just been through. I know you and Canderous are just trying to look out for me so I want you to understand that I'm just trying to look out for Juhani and Jolee."

"I know you are, but are you doing it at the expense of your own safety?"

"That doesn't matter," Brinna said.

"It does to me," Carth replied forcefully. "We all knew the risks when we agreed to this mission. I'm not going to stand back and watch you make yourself a target so that everyone else will be protected."

"Carth…"

"You take care of everyone but yourself. Do you expect me to just stand back and not say anything to you about it?"

She was extremely touched by his words, especially since she felt he had no business voicing them at this moment. He should be worrying about his son, not her.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid. I promise," she told him.

"That's right you aren't," he said, sitting up and grasping her hand firmly. "I'm not going to let you."

"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself," she told him.

"Someone has to worry about you and since you won't, I will," he said stubbornly.

"I should have taken to calling you 'The Most Stubborn Pilot in the Galaxy'," she said, exasperated.

He smiled. "It's a fitting title."

"Just…just know that I feel better knowing that you're here," she told him.

"Likewise," he said. He gave her hand a firm squeeze before releasing it. "Now get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

She nodded and closed her eyes, but sleep didn't come for a very long time. When it finally did, it provided her with little rest as she had one nightmare after another.


	20. Reunion

"Great. Things are really looking up now," Brinna whispered grouchily as she, Carth, and Canderous left Yuthura Ban behind.

_Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse…_she thought to herself. _Then again, I must be doing a great job, being that I've been a Sith for all of twelve hours and I'm already involved in my very first murder plot. Mom would be so proud…_

As Brinna was making her way out of her room, Yuthura had stopped her. The meeting had begun with Yuthura expressing her belief that Brinna was the most promising of the four new Sith that Uthar had welcomed the previous day. Brinna had immediately become wary—and for good reason, as Yuthura had then proceeded to tell Brinna of her plan to murder Uthar and take over the Academy and had then extended an "invitation" for Brinna to assist her.

Yuthura's "invitation" had set the acid in Brinna's stomach churning. Brinna supposed she shouldn't have been surprised; after all, these were the Sith. The Twi'lek had gladly taught Brinna the Sith Code and had offered up several helpful suggestions as to what Brinna could do to gain some of the prestige she would need to convince Master Uthar that she was worthy of the final test: entering the tomb of Naga Sadow. Yuthura had explained that Malak had once visited the tomb and, ever since then, prospective Sith who made it through the Academy were put through some sort of test in the tomb, to prove their worthiness.

Carth had immediately latched onto this information. "Darth Malak went there? Very interesting…isn't it, master?" he'd asked.

Brinna had known immediately that Carth had surmised the exact same thing she had: the Star Map would be found in that tomb. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Carth's calling her master had been so unexpected that Brinna had just barely been able to refrain from laughing. The Twi'lek had looked at Brinna appraisingly at that moment and Brinna, scrambling for some way of diverting Yuthura, had found herself asking the Sith about her past.

To Brinna's surprise, Yuthura had begun to tell her the tale of her history. Though she had been reluctant to say much at first, Brinna had been able to gently coax Yuthura into telling more and more until Brinna had heard enough to convince her that she'd been right about Yuthura. The Twi'lek was far more than she appeared.

Yuthura had told Brinna that she had once been a slave on the planet of Sleyheyron and Brinna had thought back to the previous day and the expression on the Twi'lek's face when Brinna had told her that Carth and Canderous were her slaves.

_No wonder she looked like she did. Her hatred against her slavers drove her straight into the arms of the Sith. Maybe she can be redeemed,_ Brinna now found herself thinking. _Her intentions were good but the dark side got the best of her, just like Juhani. I helped Juhani to find her way back to the light. Maybe I can help Yuthura too. Maybe I can convince her to give up this mad plot to kill Uthar and get her back to the Jedi, where she belongs._

"You're trying to figure out a way to save her, aren't you?" Canderous asked, startling Brinna out of her thoughts.

"And if I am?" Brinna asked him defensively.

The Mandalorian sighed. "You have yet to meet someone you haven't wanted to save. Aren't you exhausted yet?"

"What would you suggest, that I just strike them all down and be done with it?" Brinna asked him, rolling her eyes.

Canderous smiled at her. "It would save you a lot of trouble, wouldn't it?"

"Leaving you behind on this planet when I leave would save me a lot of trouble," Brinna grumbled.

"I'd like to see you try," Canderous told her, with an arrogant smile.

"Don't tempt me, Mandalorian. Now fall back. Don't you think it looks a little strange for my 'slave' to be walking right next to me, carrying on a conversation with me?"

She could hear him grumbling multiple creative invectives under his breath as he fell a few steps behind and she couldn't help but smile. Everyone else might have motives that proved far more complicated than she had anticipated but at least she could trust in the fact that Canderous would be doing everything for the glory of battle.

They wandered around the dormitories of the Academy looking for Dustil. Along the way, they unfortunately ran into Brinna's fellow inductees, none of whom was particularly thrilled to see the "fallen" Jedi and her two "slaves." With each encounter, Brinna could sense Carth tensing and she began to worry that when they finally did find Dustil, he'd do something rash, like throwing his son over his shoulder and hauling him bodily out of the Academy.

As they made their way down the only corridor they hadn't yet searched, they ran into a young man who was sitting in an attitude of meditation but Brinna immediately sensed that he was far too troubled to get much out of his feeble attempts to connect to the Force. He introduced himself as Kel Algwinn and he was so jumpy that Brinna knew there was something going on in that head of his that made him uneasy. It wasn't long before she'd persuaded him to tell her about his ambivalence when it came to his decision to join the Sith. Brinna felt sorry for him. She could sense that the kid had a good heart and was simply misguided. Almost before she knew what she was doing, she found herself gently suggesting to him that maybe he should think about joining the Jedi instead.

"What the hell are you doing?" Canderous hissed at her through his teeth.

Although Carth didn't say anything, she could sense that he was of a similar mind as Canderous. She knew that they both thought she was crazy, that they were both positive that she'd just blown their cover. Ignoring them, she continued to talk to Kel Algwinn and it wasn't long before she knew she had the kid. He didn't belong among the Sith and Brinna sensed the relief that her suggestion had given him. She and her companions watched as the kid turned and walked casually out of the Academy.

"It worked," she told the two men.

"How do you do that?" Canderous asked, shaking his head in wonder.

"I don't know," Brinna said, feeling a momentary sense of disorientation. She didn't dwell on it for long, though, because she saw Carth impatiently shifting his weight from one foot to the other and decided she'd better lead them onward.

Stepping past Kel Algwinn's room, Brinna found herself face-to-face with a young man so familiar that all of the breath rushed out of her body in a whoosh.

"You take a wrong turn somewhere?" the young man standing before her asked and she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was Dustil. He looked far too much like Carth to be anyone else.

Before she could respond, Canderous and Carth appeared and Carth's exclamation of, "Dustil, is that you?" immediately confirmed what she'd thought.

Dustil turned to look at his father and Brinna was hit with a wave of animosity so strong that she staggered back a step. Carth was too busy staring at his son in disbelief to notice but Canderous put a steadying hand on Brinna's shoulder and shot a wary look at Dustil.

"Oh, lovely. It's Father. Figures that you'd show up after all this time. How did you manage to get inside the Academy?" Dustil asked in a venomous tone.

"Through the front doors," Brinna snapped, wanting to reach out and slap the nasty smile right off the kid's face.

"Cute. I wonder how interested Master Uthar would be to know just who he has in his web. Unless you've switched sides, Father? But I doubt that. Just why are you here, Father? Not for me, I hope. Couldn't you have gotten yourself blown up on some ship and spared us this reunion?"

"Nice kid," Canderous murmured in Brinna's ear.

She barely heard him. The tension in the air was so thick that she was surprised that no one had yet reached for a weapon. Through the Force, she could feel the violent torrent of emotions that were racing through the teenager and they were so strong that she felt herself trembling.

"Dustil…what? What are you talking about? I…I thought you were dead!" Carth said, confusion and hurt evident in his voice.

Opening herself further to the Force, Brinna reached out to Carth and could feel the hurt that lanced through him at the horrible things his son had said to him. It was disconcerting being connected to both father and son but Brinna felt she had little choice. Dustil was so filled with rage and Carth so filled with a desperate need to save his son that she feared the situation could quickly get out of control.

"Too bad you didn't still think that. Or did you really think I would be happy to see you? Look, everyone! It's Father, come to rescue me at long last! Sure, he may have left Mother and I to die on Telos, but that doesn't matter!" Dustil sneered.

Though the hateful things he was saying to Carth made Brinna want to reach out and give the kid a good, violent shake, she couldn't help but acknowledge what was going on beneath his angry façade. She could sense the hurt, the betrayal, and the fear that a young boy had felt when he had suddenly found himself in the midst of an invasion, his mother too far from him to protect him and his father off fighting a war that had kept him away from his son for far too long.

"No, I didn't abandon you! The task force just arrived too late. Telos was in ruins, and your mother…I held her while…But I looked for you. I swear I looked everywhere…" Carth pleaded.

"Ah, save it. You abandoned us long before. We were alone all during the wars, and even once you came back, you didn't stay," Dustil said, cutting his father off.

"I didn't have a choice! I was needed…" Carth began. It was agonizing, to listen to him trying to explain to his son and to know that his son wasn't hearing a word Carth said. Brinna looked desperately from one to the other, wishing there was something she could do.

"Yeah? Well you were needed at home, too. You were needed when the bombing started and I got captured. You know what? It doesn't matter. Not anymore. I have a new family now, a family that cares about me. I don't need you," Dustil said. In spite of the bravado in his voice, Brinna sensed the fears of a little boy that still plagued him. As he'd spoken of the bombing, he'd had a flash of memory and Brinna had been able to sense part of it. She'd heard explosions and screams of agony and had felt a nearly uncontrollable sense of fear.

"The Sith?" Carth was asking, disbelief strong in his voice. "You can't mean that! No, the Sith killed your mother! The Sith destroyed Telos!"

"So? You're the soldier, Father. How many mothers have you killed?"

"No, you've been brainwashed. The son I knew would never…"

"You never knew me!" Dustil cried harshly. "You weren't even there to know me, so don't presume to tell me what I would or wouldn't do!"

"I don't know what's been done to you, but you're coming with me out of here. Now," Carth said. It was just as Brinna had feared. She took a step toward Carth, moving to act as a sort of barrier between him and his son but the next words Dustil spoke froze both Brinna and Carth in place.

"Touch me, old man and I'll kill you. Get out! Get out of here before I tell the Sith that you're here!"

She felt Carth's pain and it made her want to weep. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the look of disgust on Canderous's face as the Mandalorian stared at Dustil.

"Calm down, Dustil. Carth is only trying to protect you," Brinna found herself saying. She hadn't intended to interfere but she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't bear the pain that the encounter was causing Carth and she desperately wanted to make Dustil listen to his father.

"I don't need his protection! Not anymore. The Sith give me everything I need," Dustil said, glaring at her.

"You can't mean that! The Sith are…they're evil. They're the dark side. They…they took me away from you and your mother. They're…they're what took you away from me!"

"No, they're not evil! They're not! The dark side is superior and you…you were at war long before they came along," Dustil insisted. Brinna could sense his denial and his desperate need to cling to the elaborate lie he had built for himself, a lie that he had devised to insulate himself against the sense of abandonment he had felt. Now that his father had reappeared in his life, old feelings and old resentments were welling up and threatening to overcome him.

"The Sith war to conquer, to rule the helpless. I went to war for you, Dustil. For your freedom, your future!" Carth replied. She could sense his frustration as he struggled to find a way to explain things to his son. He desperately wanted to find the words that would convince Dustil that what he was saying was true.

"Heh. I…don't believe you," Dustil said, but Brinna could sense the fight beginning to slip out of him. In spite of himself, he was listening to his father. There was still a part of him that wanted to believe in his father, even if that part was very small and nearly forgotten.


	21. Convincing Dustil and Tomb Raiding

Early the next morning, Brinna opened her eyes and immediately rolled over onto her left side. To her relief, Carth was still there, sitting stiffly with his back up against the wall as he gritted his teeth. Dark shadows colored the skin under his eyes, making it look almost as though he and Canderous had come to blows while she had slept. She remembered her comment to him about liking his calling her slave and she blushed. Swiftly, she pushed that thought aside and made a quiet noise to let Carth know that she was awake.

"Oh, good. You're awake," he said, rising to his feet.

Brinna sat up on the bunk and glanced to her right. "Where's Canderous?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Here," he answered, stepping around the wall. He had somehow managed to balance three steaming mugs and he handed one to Brinna and one to Carth.

"Thanks," Brinna said, taking a grateful sip from the mug. The tea was hot and potent and it helped to clear the fog from her head.

"Everything's very quiet right now. Most of the students are still sleeping but Uthar's out in that big, round room meditating," Canderous reported.

"Then let's move," Brinna said, setting her mug aside and rising from the bunk. She'd slept in her oversized Jedi robes and they were looking rather worse for the wear. She quickly smoothed them and then reached under her bunk and pulled her boots out, shoving her feet unceremoniously into them. She grabbed her pack and strapped on her belt.

"Ready?" Carth asked.

"Ready," Brinna told him, afraid that if she made him wait any longer he'd explode.

They set off down the corridor, moving as stealthily as possible. There were some Sith guards patrolling the corridors but they paid Brinna and her companions no heed as they completed their rounds.

"They're probably used to seeing students skulking around the corridors at all hours," Canderous murmured to Brinna.

The short corridor leading to Uthar's quarters was deserted and Canderous hung back to peek around the corner and provide cover, if it should prove necessary. Brinna was nearly holding her breath as Carth pulled a security spike from his pack and used it to pick the lock on Uthar's door. It wasn't even fully open when she and Carth slipped inside. Brinna headed for the footlocker that lay dead ahead while Carth hung a right and made for the footlocker next to Uthar's bunk.

"Nothing but these," Carth called quietly to her, holding up a set of Jedi robes.

"Keep those," she said, rummaging through the footlocker. Under a few layers of junk, she found a datapad. She scanned it quickly and what she saw made her face pale.

"The pupil known as Dustil has shown remarkable progress," the datapad read. "His talent with the Force is great. The same, however, cannot be said for the human female that he arrived with, Selene. She has little talent. Moreover, Dustil holds a great degree of affection for her. This is a weakness in the boy and has been slowing down his training. Orders were sent this morning to have the girl removed from the academy and terminated. I will tell Dustil that she was killed in the valley. He will forget her soon enough, I think… He is too promising to lose at this juncture."

"What?" Carth asked, walking over to her.

"I think this might be what we're looking for," she said, handing it to him.

She studied his face as he read it. When he'd finished, he looked as if he was going to be sick. "I wonder if Dustil knows his friend was disposed of like that? If not, it might convince Dustil that what we're saying about the Sith is true. It would be worth a shot."

Brinna nodded. "Come on; let's go show it to him."

They made their way out of Uthar's quarters and joined Canderous, who told them that he hadn't seen anyone. "Let's just hope there's no one lurking around wearing a stealth field generator," he added.

"You sure know how to reassure a girl," Brinna said sarcastically.

"Back already?" Dustil asked, as soon as they entered his quarters. "So tell me, Father, where's this 'proof' you promised?"

"I have a datapad I want you to look at. You knew someone named Selene?" Carth asked, handing the datapad to Dustil.

Through the Force, Brinna could feel the ripple of emotion that ran through Dustil at the mention of the name. "Selene? She's the one who convinced me to come to the academy with her. Why? Where did you get this?"

"Look at it," Carth urged him. "It belongs to Master Uthar, doesn't it?"

"Yes…it's his. But…he told me…he, he said that she'd been lost on a mission in the valley. This…this says that they…"  
She just barely managed to stop herself from reaching out a comforting hand to touch Dustil's arm. She could feel his love for Selene so strongly that it was almost as if it was her own love that had been murdered. Pain and disbelief were mingled on Dustil's features and Brinna could feel him struggling to make sense of what he'd just learned. The careful little world that he'd constructed for himself was crashing down on his head and he was afraid and confused.

"Killed her because she was hindering your progress," Carth said, completing his son's statement. "Superiority at any cost, Dustil. There's your evil. Or can you live with that?"

"No. No, I can't," Dustil said, quietly. "I…I had no idea…they lied to me."

"Well, there's the son I remember. Now will you leave here?" Carth asked. Unconsciously, Brinna had connected with him via the Force and she could sense his nervous tension as he waited to hear what his son had to say. His love for his son was strong and she knew that there were many, many things that he longed to say to Dustil, things that would simply have to wait until a more opportune moment, if there ever was one. Carth's hope was still there but it had been stretched so thin that it was on the verge of breaking.

"I…no," Dustil replied and Brinna could sense Carth's heart sinking. Her own disappointment left a bitter taste in her mouth but it was followed by a deep sense of relief at Dustil's next words.

"You go do whatever you have to, Father," the teenager said. "I…I have some other friends here. I have to warn them what's going on. And maybe I can, you know, look around here and find out some more information. From the inside. Something that might help you."

Pride and worry were at war within Carth. Brinna knew that he would have liked nothing better than to send Dustil far, far away from the academy in the hopes of keeping his son safe but Carth understood that Dustil was no longer a child. He was a man in his own right and Carth needed to step back and allow Dustil to do what he felt was necessary.

"I…don't suppose there's any way I could talk you out of that, is there? I mean, you're not going to do anything half way. Sounds familiar," Carth replied, a hint of a smile playing over his face.

"I…guess it does," Dustil said. He looked at Carth and Brinna could sense that Dustil was truly looking at his father this time. He was seeing Carth for the man he was, not the deplorable man that Dustil had invented in his own mind.

"I'm proud of you, Dustil. You aren't hanging onto a lie after you see it for what it is. Not everyone could do that."

"Maybe…after this is over, we can…talk. I'm still not sure about…us, but I'll listen. Maybe we can get back to where we should have been," Dustil said tentatively.

"I'd like that," Carth said softly.

"I'll go back to Telos when this is over. You can find me there. Goodbye…Father."

"Goodbye, son. Good luck."

"Do you think you'll see Dustil again?" Brinna asked Carth as they watched Dustil's retreating back. She had severed her connection with both father and son, leaving them to thoughts in which she had no business prying.

"I think so. If he's anything like he used to be, Dustil hates to be tricked. There's no way he'll let the Sith trick him again. As for whether or not he'll be my son again…I don't know. He's so full of anger and hate…I wasn't expecting him to be like this. Maybe we can work it out. I hope so. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Thanks, by the way…for all your help," Carth said.

"I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat," Brinna assured him.

He flushed slightly. She could see from the expression on his face that he wanted to ask her something but that he wasn't certain whether it would be appropriate. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised questioningly.

"The datapad," he began, hesitation evident in his voice. "It said he was strong in the Force. Could you…did you know what he was feeling?"

Brinna would have liked nothing better than to tell him every one of Dustil's emotions that she'd been able to feel but she knew that it was not her place. The Force was not something that should be used for personal gain and she felt that to tell Carth about Dustil's emotions would be a violation. She felt that she shouldn't have even allowed herself to tune into them.

"Carth… I hope you know that I would never want to keep something from you. The datapad was right; Dustil is very strong in the Force. But what you're asking…"

"No, no, you're right," he said, cutting her off. "I shouldn't have asked. I had no business."

"I know how hard this has been for you," she said quietly, laying a hand on his arm.

"Been in my head as well?" he asked, smiling at her a little uncertainly.

It was her turn to flush. "I just wanted to make sure that things didn't get…out of hand. But I shouldn't have done it and I promise I never will again."

"It's all right," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it. "I know you were just trying to protect both me and Dustil. Besides, if I had to have anyone in my head, I'm glad it was you."

Brinna blushed even deeper and stammered her thanks before leading Carth back over the Canderous. The Mandalorian took one look at her red face and raised his eyebrows. He let Carth get a little ahead of them and then leaned over and breathed, "Was loverboy whispering sweet nothings in your ear?"

"You are a Gamorrean," Brinna replied through gritted teeth. Her blush deepened and she was certain that her face was probably a highly attractive shade of purple.

Carth turned around and took one look at her before his gaze flickered to Canderous, who smiled widely at him. Carth's lip twisted slightly and he turned back around, ignoring Canderous.

"I get the feeling Soldier's not too fond of me," Canderous said easily.

"Can you blame him?" Brinna asked.

"At least I know that you like me."

"Hah! Guess again!" She raised the volume of her voice a bit, just enough so that Carth would hear her as well. "You two had better get behind me and act more slave-like."

"Yes, Master," Canderous told her, saluting her and falling back a few steps, Carth joining him.

"Let's get the rest of those tombs done. I want to do that final test as soon as possible," Brinna said over her shoulder before turning around and concentrating on making her way through the corridor. Gradually, she could feel her blush fading.

The three jogged their way through the academy and out into the Valley of the Dark Lords. Reluctantly, Brinna headed for the first tomb on the right. She wished she could keep moving until she got to the second on the left, but there was apparently no way of getting into the tomb of Naga Sadow unless Uthar declared her the official candidate and brought her to it for her final test.

Just outside of the tomb, they ran into a young archaeologist named Galon Lor. Galon told them that the tomb belonged to Ajunta Pall, who had once possessed a sword of terrible power. He added that anyone who could retrieve the sword would certainly earn a lot of prestige.

"More evil weapons. Just what Uthar needs," Brinna grumbled as she opened the door to the tomb.

As with the tomb of Marka Ragnos, Ajunta Pall's final resting place was crumbling, dusty, dim, and redolent with the scent of mildew and something earthier and less pleasant.

"Whatever that is, it smells worse than the Wookie," Canderous commented, drawing his vibroblades from his sheaths and holding them at his sides.

"Smells like those nasty things we ran into in the shyrack caves," Brinna said, the words no sooner leaving her mouth than they were beset by a pack of tuk'ata.

When they were finished, the tomb reeked of blood and singed fur and Brinna felt her stomach roil. "Ugh. Let's get out of here as fast as we can," she said, leading the two men past the tuk'ata corpses.

A couple of corpses and a severed arm decorated the stone floor of the tomb. "It's the homey touches that make the place so welcoming," Brinna said, sweeping her arm out as if she were a realtor showing off some property.

Canderous snorted in laughter and Brinna turned to see that Carth was smiling, though he rolled his eyes when he caught her looking at him.

"Ha ha," he said.

Brinna sobered and headed for the datapad clutched in the hand of the severed arm as Carth and Canderous riffled through the packs of the corpses.

"This is interesting," Brinna said, as she read the datapad. "It's the journal of a Sith student and it says that the obelisk over there is made of unstable material that will probably be set off by an energy discharge."

"This one was written by a Sith archaeologist and it says that the substance is Therangen, which is highly volatile and reacts violently to fire," Carth told them, holding up a datapad that he'd retrieved from one of the corpses.

"Let the fireworks begin!" Canderous said, pulling a frag grenade from his pack and heading for the obelisk.

"As soon as you put that thing in there, run like hell. I want both of you to keep behind me. I have a feeling those droids aren't just going to sit there once that obelisk is blown to bits. I can deflect the blaster bolts with my lightsabers and use the Force to destroy them."

"Sounds like a plan," Canderous said. He stuffed the grenade into the obelisk and ran back toward Brinna and Carth, diving for cover as it exploded, showering them all with dust and bits of debris. The tomb rumbled ominously and for a second Brinna was afraid it would collapse.

Her attention was claimed elsewhere, though, as the droids suddenly came to life and opened fire. Carth and Canderous hung behind her as she'd told them and she deflected the bolts. She took a couple of minor hits while she was busy calling on the Force, but her wounds were superficial and quickly healed thanks to her Force connection.

"That was almost too easy," Carth said, looking around the tomb suspiciously.

"Yeah," Brinna agreed. "Never fear, though. I'm sure there's an unpleasant surprise lying in wait behind that door," she said, gesturing at the door that stood across the bridge.

"I can hardly wait," Canderous said and Brinna knew he was serious. He charged off toward the doors, blades in hand and Brinna shook her head.  
"Stark raving mad," she muttered to Carth.

They opened the door and saw a sarcophagus lying before them. Brinna opened it and saw three blades lying within. As soon as she picked them up, the door closed behind them with a loud thump and some more debris rained down from the ceiling. All three of them lifted their arms and covered their heads. Brinna coughed as dust entered her lungs. Lowering her arms, she turned to say something to Carth and Canderous but was struck dumb by what she saw. Canderous and Carth looked at her and, silently, she pointed behind them.

"Too long…too long in the cold and the dark. I am disturbed again? A human... A…Jedi? Here? Why have you come to this dark place, Jedi? Why…disturb my sleepless rest?" the apparition asked, its voice so otherworldly that it sent shivers down Brinna's spine.

"Are you…Ajunta Pall?" she asked it, hardly able to believe what she was seeing.

"I…had a name, once. Ajunta Pall. Yes, that was my name. I was one of many. We were servants of the dark side… Sith Lord, we called ourselves. So proud. In the end we were not so proud. We hid…hid from those we had betrayed. We fell…and I knew it would be so…" the apparition replied.

Fascinated, Brinna asked Ajunta Pall some questions and he told her about his and his comrades' betrayal of their Jedi Masters. Several times he referred to a secret but when Brinna asked him if the secret was the Star Map, he could not answer her. Instead, he began to focus on his sword, commanding Brinna to take it away from his tomb. The catch was that she had to figure out which of the three blades that had been lying in the sarcophagus was his. She would have to place the blade she judged to be his on his statue and he would tell her if she was right. If she wasn't, he informed her she would die.

"How will I know which sword it is?" she asked him.

"I do remember one thing of my sword…listen to me carefully… 'I am that which grips the heart in fright, hearkens night and silences the light.' It was…written of my sword long…long ago. Go, then...find my sword and place it on the statue…"

Brinna and her companions moved over to the statue. "What was that you were saying about this being too easy?" she muttered to Carth.

"I thought you liked a challenge," Canderous said.

"I also like living," Brinna replied, rolling her eyes. "'Hearkens night and silences the light'," she quoted. She handed Carth and Canderous each a sword. "Take a look at those and let me know if you think either of them has anything to do with those words."

"While I'm sure I could do a lot of silencing with this thing, I don't think it's the one we're looking for," Canderous said, after studying the vibrosword for a minute.

"This one's got some kind of symbol on it but I don't think it's the right one either," Brinna said, holding up the silver-lined sword.

"No. This has to be the one," Carth said, holding the notched steel sword out. "Aside from the color of the blade, look at this." He turned the blade slowly from side to side and Brinna watched in amazement as the surface of it seemed to pulsate with shadow.

"That has to be it," she agreed. Carth handed it to her and, with a deep breath, she placed it in the statue's outstretched hands. She didn't release the breath until the spirit of Ajunta Pall spoke again.

"Yes…that is the one," he said. "That is the blade that destroyed me. Take it…take it and the other blades, even…take them and go. My darkness awaits me."

The despair in his voice was haunting and Brinna felt a rush of compassion.

_I feel sorry for a ghost?_ Brinna asked herself incredulously. _The ghost of a Sith Lord?_

"There's no need to remain here is there?" she asked him.

"No…need? What choice have I?"

"You can return to the light side and end your torment."

"Return? But…I betrayed my old masters. They would never let me return to the light side. It is too late…too late…"

"I don't believe the light side would turn you away. You have suffered long enough," Brinna said truthfully.

"If…if I could return. Oh, my Master…it has been…so long…and I regret so much…"

With those words, Ajunta Pall's apparition dissipated. Brinna turned to see Canderous staring at her while shaking his head.

"What?" she asked.


	22. The Final Test

Sleep eluded her, just as it had ever since she had set foot on the planet. When she was able to snatch a few moments' rest, she had dreams so fraught with violent and terrifying images that it did not take her long to realize that she preferred the insomnia. She was mentally and physically exhausted but she had managed to do a pretty spectacular job of hiding this from Carth and Canderous. In truth, she was not really sure she was ready to face the final test but she knew she had to get off Korriban and she knew she had to do it soon. The insidious power of the dark side was working its way into her mind, whispering to her thoughts and trying its best to influence her actions. Resisting it had been a constant battle and all Brinna really wanted at this point was to get as far away from Korriban as she could, to be somewhere she could finally rest and meditate without fearing the images she might see.

Restlessly, Brinna turned onto her other side. Her imagination was running wild with thoughts of what the final test would entail and she raised her right hand to her forehead, rubbing vigorously as if that might dispel the images playing through her mind. She sighed loudly.

"Are you awake?" Carth asked softly, startling her.

"Yes," she admitted, turning to face him.

He studied her with concern. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Positive," she replied, smiling tiredly. "I just want to get it over with. It's the anticipation that's killing me. Once I get in there, I'll be able to handle whatever they throw at me." She spoke with a confidence that she didn't really feel because she didn't want him to worry about her any more than he was.

"I can only imagine," he said. He was sitting with his back to the far wall of her little alcove and he leaned his head back against the volcanic rock, closing his eyes. He looked drawn and tired and Brinna was concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting up on her bunk and drawing her knees up to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees and her hair fell forward, sweeping across her cheek.

Carth opened his eyes and smiled when he saw how she was sitting. She smiled in response, glad that she was able to provoke such a positive reaction from him. His eyes followed her hand as she pushed a chunk of hair behind one ear.

"Looks like it's time for me to take the vibroblade to it again," she said, more to fill the silence than for any other reason.

"Don't do that," Carth said quietly. The tone of his voice gave her pause and quickened her heartbeat.

"Where's Canderous?" she asked, hoping her voice sounded casual.

"Off patrolling," Carth replied. "He couldn't sit still any longer. He's like a caged animal."

Brinna sighed deeply. "It's this place. It can't help but have an effect on everyone."

"It's strange… Ever since we got here I've been thinking about things that I haven't thought about in a long time," Carth told her. He looked suddenly conscious of his words and he closed his mouth with an almost audible snap.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Brinna asked gently.

"No. I shouldn't be keeping you awake. You need to rest for tomorrow."

"I'm not going to be doing any sleeping, Carth," Brinna admitted ruefully. "And I'd rather talk to you than lay staring at the walls like I was ten minutes ago."

"I guess I could try to entertain you for a while," he said with a weak smile.

They talked but Brinna could see that Carth's heart wasn't in it. The more she spoke, the more his eyes seemed to take on a far-away look. When she stopped speaking altogether, he didn't even flinch and she knew for certain that something was going on.

"Carth?" she said, a little loudly. He started and looked at her. "You seem like you're far away. Is something wrong?"

"Oh…it's nothing. Sorry," he said.

"It doesn't seem like nothing," she said gently. She pinned him with her gaze and he sighed and looked down, plucking absently at his trousers.

"I told you my wife died four years ago. I…I've just been trying to remember what she looked like. It shouldn't be so difficult. I can remember things about her…things she did. The way she smiled, what her hair smelled like, our last fight…just not her face. I try to hold it in my head but it's gone. Is…that strange? Maybe I shouldn't be talking to you about this," he said. The frustration he felt was evident in his voice and Brinna felt her heart going out to him. She understood what he was going through. She'd gone through it herself three times, one time for each family member she had lost. It was painful but it was an inevitable part of the recovery process.

"No, it's not strange, Carth. You remember the important things," she said quietly.

"But I should be able to remember her face. It's frustrating! I…feel like I'm losing her. I, uh…it must look really strange for me to be obsessing like this, still. You must think I'm incredibly stupid," he said.

The vulnerability in his voice made her heart hurt and she shook her head at him. "No, but I doubt your wife would want you to do this to yourself," she told him.

"I…suppose you're probably right. But I have to do it, anyway. The only thing that's kept me going since she died has been the need to find Saul and kill him. It's better to think about that than…anything else. If I can do that, then maybe I can let her go. Let it all go. If we encounter Saul…if we ever have the chance, promise me that I will be the one to kill him. I have to settle this…I need to."

The more he spoke, the more she could sense the intensity of his purpose and it made her heart sink. She closed her eyes and felt the sting of tears. She knew Carth and she cared about him. He was a good and decent man who had been driven almost to the brink of madness by the unspeakable atrocities that his former friend had committed. She knew that he was incapable of killing someone in cold blood and she was willing to bet that, deep down inside, he knew it too. She only wished that she could make him see this. He was so blinded by his pain, by his rage that he was driving himself to become something she knew he would despise being. Brinna was not about to let that happen to him.

"That's not going to help anything, Carth," she said, wishing she could say something more convincing but she knew it didn't matter. No matter what she said, she wouldn't be able to reach him. She would simply have to be there if and when Carth confronted Saul so that she could do all she could to prevent him from taking a flying leap over the edge.

"Whether it does or not, that's the way it has to be," Carth said, his voice taking on a slightly hard edge. "I…guess there's no need to discuss it until then."

Brinna let herself be dismissed. She had no intention of not discussing the issue further but now was not the time. Emotions were running too high and Korriban was a bad place for that to be happening. She knew she didn't have much time left before it would be morning and she would need to meet with Uthar and it was imperative that she do what she could to compose herself before then.

Canderous returned and eyed Brinna critically. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Shouldn't you?" she replied.

"I'm not the one who has to go face whatever sadistic test the Sith cooked up," he reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot," she said sarcastically. She rubbed her eyes, hoping it might do something to stop them from burning. It didn't. "I can't sleep."

"Are you finally confessing to having cracks in your armor?" Canderous asked, smiling arrogantly at her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Carth shift out and she suspected he was annoyed with the turn Canderous's conversation had taken. Brinna, however, knew the Mandalorian well enough to understand that this was simply his way of communicating. He respected Brinna and had acknowledged as much. She knew that he was probably every bit as concerned about what might happen to her as Carth was. He simply had a different way of expressing his concern.

"Cracks! Wouldn't you like to think so?" she taunted him.

He smiled in response to the challenge. "I'll find your weakness one of these days."

"You just keep telling yourself that, Mandalorian. Maybe you'll actually start believing it." Brinna rose from her bunk and stretched, doing her best to work the kinks out of her muscles. "What time is it?"

"Almost 0600," Canderous told her. "When are you supposed to go meet that worthless Uthar?"

"0700," Brinna said, stifling a yawn. "I can hardly wait."

"I still don't like the idea of you going into that tomb alone," Canderous told her flatly.

She patted his arm. "I'll be just fine."

"I'm sure you will be. If you lose your lightsabers you can just beat things to death with that hard head of yours," he told her.

"Why, Canderous, what a lovely compliment!" Brinna said in a voice of exaggerated delight. "You sure know how to charm a lady."

"Yeah, well, I'm just glad I'm not dumb enough to underestimate you like those Sith do."

Brinna smiled broadly. "You are a clever one. It's fortunate that they're not. They'll rue the day they ever let me and my 'slaves' into this place."

"Just try to keep the rash acts to a minimum, will you? I plan on getting off this planet with my hide intact," Canderous said gruffly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my dear," she said.

She turned her attention to her gear, shuffling through it as she decided what to take along with her. She had already decided to leave her pack behind so she could only carry what would fit on her belt. Naturally, her lightsabers were coming with her and she examined them carefully before clipping them to the belt. Sorting through her things, she pulled out a couple of antidote kits and an assortment of medpacs and stowed them in her belt pouch. She briefly entertained the thought of bringing a few explosives along but decided that she wouldn't need them and that they'd just take up valuable space. Who knew what she might be asked to recover while she was in the tomb?

When she was finally ready, she, Carth, and Canderous made their way to the main room of the academy. Yuthura and Uthar were waiting for her and after assuring Uthar that she was ready, the Sith Master led her away from her friends. She cast one final look at them over her shoulder and saw that they were both studying her with undisguised concern.

Once in the tomb, Uthar announced that she would spend a day in preparation. This involved meditating and various and assorted other tasks. Brinna was anxious to begin the test and the delay annoyed her. She did her best to conceal her impatience as she went through the motions with Yuthura and Uthar.

It was probably the worst twenty-four hours she'd passed since her whole ordeal had begun. The tomb of Naga Sadow fairly pulsed with evil and fighting the dark side off was an exhausting task, especially for someone who had precious little energy left. In addition to this, her last conversation with Carth had left her very troubled and she found her thoughts turning to it at the most inopportune of moments. She only hoped she'd live long enough to straighten things out with him.

At last, Uthar looked at her and announced that it was time for her test to begin. "You have earned the right to see if you shall become one of us," he told her.

"Indeed you have," Yuthura chimed in.  
"I dislike your tone, Yuthura," Uthar said suspiciously. "What are you up to now?"

"Nothing of course, my master. I was merely agreeing with you. Should we not get on with the test?"

Brinna felt uneasy as Uthar turned his attention once more to explaining the final test. Yuthura had arched a brow and shot her a significant look as Uthar looked away and Brinna could feel dread settling in the pit of her stomach like so much plascrete. She forced herself to pay attention as Uthar told her that her task was the find the Star Map in the tomb and recover the lightsaber that had been hidden within it. When she was finished, she was to return to him for the final part of her test.

_The final part of the test,_ she thought grouchily as she left him and Yuthura behind and proceeded through the north door of the tomb. _As if this little gauntlet you're going to make me run isn't enough…_

Her first surprise was waiting for her just through the door. As it closed behind her with a low thud, she saw that another corridor intersected the one in which she was currently standing. Even before her eyes caught sight of them, Brinna smelled the dry desert stench of the wraids that were waiting for her just before the intersection.

They noticed her at about the same time she noticed them and her eyes widened at their approach. For such huge, unwieldy-looking creatures, they certainly could move fast. She closed her eyes, called on the Force, and put two of them in stasis. The third was trapped behind the other two in the rather narrow corridor and she didn't worry about it until she had hacked her way through the first two. She was able to dodge the third wraid easily enough and it inflicted very little damage on her before she landed her death blow. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and to wipe some of the gore from her face.

_Which way should I go?_ she mused, glancing left and then right. She opted to go right and jogged down the corridor toward the door at the end. She resisted the urge to proceed at a full blown run because it was important that she preserve her energy as much as possible. Brinna had a sneaking suspicion that stamina would prove to be an important asset during her test.

At the end of the corridor, she made a rather grisly discovery. Just before the door lay some not quite fully rotted remains and she turned her nose up at the smell. There was a datapad laying next to the remains and she swallowed the bile that rose in her throat with some difficulty as she picked it up.

_Really, this shouldn't surprise me anymore,_ she thought as her gaze was inexorably drawn to what was left of what had once been a living, breathing being. _You've run into so many corpses in these tombs that you should be expecting this by now._

Moving away from the body and taking a deep breath, Brinna scanned the datapad, discovering that it was the journal of another young potential Sith. It mentioned something about a pool of acid and Brinna could feel her eyebrows shooting all the way up to her hairline. Apparently, there were two obelisks somewhere within the tomb, one called the Pillar of Fire and another called the Pillar of Ice. From what she could gather, these pillars contained some sort of substance that she would need to bypass the acid pool. She agreed with the would-be Sith's assumption that fire did not sound like a good idea. Ice it was.

"Maybe freezing the pool would be safer," the journal's writer had mused. "Well…I'll worry about that once I bypass the terentatek beasts. If I can. I suppose it's now or never."

"Now or never indeed," Brinna said aloud, her voice sounding obnoxiously loud in the strange quiet of the tomb. She winced and tossed the datapad back down by the body.

_Terentatek beasts. As in more than one,_ she thought, eyeing the door before her apprehensively. The wraids hadn't been too much of a challenge but she now had enough experience with terentateks to know how deadly serious of a threat they posed to a Jedi. _And this time I don't have friend to help me._

Her stomach roiling, Brinna stepped through the door as quietly as she could. There was a small alcove just on the other side of the door and she peered around the wall into the large chamber. At the far end, two terentateks stood, moving restlessly, their claws on the stone floor making a noise that set Brinna's teeth on edge. She pulled her head back around the wall and tried the door. Just as she'd suspected, it was now locked.

_Think, Warrim,_ she told herself as she leaned her head back against the door. For a moment she focused on breathing deeply and doing what she could to get her heart rate back to normal. Then she began to devise a strategy for dealing with the beasts.

She would have to take them on one at a time. That was a given. But how could she do that? Briefly, she entertained the idea of putting one in stasis while she attacked the other but she dismissed that plan entirely. Well did she know just how difficult it was to get the beasts to succumb to Force powers and she was not about to stand there and let them cut her to pieces while she tried fruitlessly to stasis one or the other of them. Wracking her brain, she glanced about her surroundings and then it hit her: she could lure one of them toward the alcove. She'd be pinned between the door and the beast, which was a very unpleasant thought, to say the least, but the space was too narrow to allow the second beast to reach her while the first was doing its best to eviscerate her.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered as she took a shuddering breath and stepped stealthily around the wall. She made just enough noise to rouse the beasts. Both of them turned to look at her and there was a heart-stopping pause while they froze at the sight of their prey. Then they both began charging toward her and she fled to what little safety the alcove could offer her.

_Wait for it,_ she told herself as the beasts continued to charge. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears that it almost rivaled the sound the great beasts were making. _Now._

Calling on the Force, she attempted to put the first beast in stasis, to no avail. She ducked out of the way of its razor-sharp claws and hissed as she felt them graze her left side. She called on the Force again and, again, failed to stop the beast. Trying her best not to give in to her growing sense of desperation, she took a swing at the beast with her lightsaber, landing a pretty good blow and causing it to bellow in rage. Concentrating with all her might, she called on the Force again and nearly went weak with relief when she saw the terentatek freeze.

Brinna wasted no time in calling on the Force to grant her extra speed and then she began raining blows down upon the terentatek. The stasis wore off before she could kill the beast and she cried out as its claws tore what felt to be a substantial chunk from her right leg. The pain nearly crippled her but she fought against the red haze of it and managed to strike the beast down.

She would have liked nothing better than to slump on the floor and burn through all of her medpacs but she still had the second beast to deal with. Her stomach heaved as the pain flared through her leg and her vision was blurred by tears.

_Get a hold of yourself!_ she mentally screamed. _You will die if you don't focus!_

Her right hand shook as she held it out to the other terentatek, trying to put it in stasis but the pain made it difficult to concentrate and she was not surprised to see that her attempt had no effect whatsoever on the beast. She sluggishly attempted to dodge its blows but she was moving a little too slowly and she screamed as the terentatek's claws raked across her back.

Biting down on her tongue hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, Brinna forced herself to focus. She was coming dangerously close to exhausting her Force abilities and she knew she would have to make her next attempt count. She dodged as the beast took another swing at her and then yelled aloud as she called on the Force. Her attempt was successful and she found herself sobbing gratefully. Roughly, she dashed her sleeve across her eyes to clear her vision and then focused on killing the beast. She could feel herself sinking further into the red haze as her fury overtook her and she rained savage blows down upon the terentatek. When it fell dead at her feet, she spat on its body before collapsing.

She was now weeping openly and she indulged herself for a second and just sobbed. Her shaking fingers dug through the pouch on her belt and she pulled out three medpacs, rapidly injecting herself with one after the other. The pain receded somewhat and she struggled to regain control of herself. Her hands shook so violently that she could hardly manage to tear a strip from her robe and tie it tightly around her bleeding leg.

_I let it get to me,_ she told herself as she studied the terentatek bodies with a shudder of fear and revulsion. _For a second there, the dark side had a hold on me._

"Enough!" she said out loud, speaking through gritted teeth. "I will not sit here and cry like a baby. I am stronger than this! I will not let the dark side get the better of me!"

Determined, Brinna hauled herself up from the floor and used what was left of her Force abilities to heal herself. She was still bleeding and wounded but the pain was now a dull ache rather than a burning blaze. She stowed the rest of her medpacs in her pouch even though she was tempted to use them all up. They might be needed later and she couldn't run the risk of being without them if she was to have to face something like the terentateks again or she would die, plain and simple. Her Force powers would come back to her somewhat but without rest and meditation she would not be able to fully recover them. She was going to have to be very, very careful about how she used them from this point forward.

She moved into the chamber and found another corpse within. This one had a journal that had once belonged to Shaela, another of the Jedi sent on the Great Hunt, and a lightsaber crystal. The crystal was stowed securely in her pouch, the journal left behind.

Across the room was a door with a lever just before it. She proceeded carefully, scrutinizing the floor. She caught a glimpse of a mine just before the door and her heart sank again. Her skills with demolitions were far less than stellar and she did not know if she would be able to disable the mine, nor did she know if she would survive if the mine went off. Giving it her best shot, she attempted to disable it but only succeeded in setting it off. Fortunately for her, she was able to tumble out of the way of the cloud of toxins that rose from it and she crouched on the other side of the room until the cloud dissipated. When it was finally gone, she walked over to the lever and pulled it, hearing the sound of the lock in the door before her and the door behind her—the one leading out of this chamber of horrors—disengaging.

Brinna barreled through the door in front of her before apprehension could overcome her and was relieved to see that it held nary a creature, just the two pillars that had been mentioned in the Sith journal. She ignored the Pillar of Fire and moved over to the Pillar of Ice, taking the strange grenade that she found within. Then, without a backward glance, she hurried out of the chamber and back to the main intersection.

She paused for a brief second once there. To her left was the door leading out of the tomb. To her right was another door, straight ahead of her a third. She chose to proceed to the door ahead of her.

No creatures came rushing forward to assault her as she stepped through the doors and Brinna allowed herself a small sigh of relief. It was cut short by a bone jarring thud as the door closed and locked behind her. She stopped to process what she saw before her. A low, electrical hum filled the room. Four pillars stood within it and multi-colored bands of energy flashed around the far left pillar. There was also a console in the room and Brinna made her way over to it, giving the pillars a wide berth.

"Caution!" the console's panel read. "Some of the systems are very delicate and improper transfer of power can cause an electrical overload!"

"Well that's just great," Brinna said sarcastically. She continued to examine the panel and soon discovered that she would need to transfer all four rings to the far right pillar in order to unlock the door to her right.

Naturally, this task was not to be as easy as it sounded. The top band could be successfully transferred to any pillar without threat of overload. However, the second band down would cause an overload if transferred to a pillar on which the top band was active. The next band down could only be transferred to a pillar with no other active bands or to one with only the base band active. The base band could only be transferred to a blank pillar without any other active bands.

Though she found the puzzle rather annoying, Brinna had to admit that she was grateful for the respite. It gave her some time to let her heartbeat and breathing slow and her more relaxed state would help her to recover some of her Force abilities more quickly. She lost track of time as she concentrated fully on the task at hand, shuffling the energy bands around with a great deal of care until, at long last, she had managed to transfer all four to the right pillar. She felt a flash of victory as the doors' locks disengaged.

Three more wraids waited for her on the other side but they were a piece of cake in comparison to the terentateks and she was still in possession of most of her blood after the battle. There was a monument to Naga Sadow in the room and she saw a blade resting upon it. She grabbed it, clipping it carefully to her belt before leaving the chamber.

There was only one door left and Brinna moved toward it with a renewed sense of determination. She found the acid pool on the other side and she stopped for a moment to watch it bubble and hiss. The stench of it caused her to wrinkle her nose and she reached into her pouch and pulled out the ice grenade.

"Here goes nothing," she murmured as she lobbed it into the pool.

Within seconds, the bubbling pool had frozen over and Brinna moved forward, gingerly putting her weight on the surface of the ice. It remained intact with only the faintest of creaks and she crossed it as swiftly as she could, sliding slightly on the slippery surface.

Yet another door stood before her and she examined the floor with extreme care, soon finding exactly what she'd suspected would be there. Working very, very slowly, Brinna was able to disable the mine and she wasted no time in opening the door once she was finished.

She felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw the now familiar shape of the Star Map that stood in the center of the room. As she moved closer to it, it opened up and she pulled her datapad out, using it to fill some more of the blanks left by the first Star Map. On the other side of the Star Map was a statue and Brinna moved over to it, prodding it gently with her fingertips. She found a depression and when she carefully pressed down on it, a small door swung open to reveal a concealed compartment. Within the compartment was the lightsaber.

"Break time," she said, sinking wearily to the floor for a few moments. She was glad that she was done running through the maze that Uthar had devised for her but she could not forget that he had said that finding the Star Map and the lightsaber did not constitute the end of her task. She dreaded whatever it was he had waiting for her.

Reluctantly, she pulled herself up from the floor and gave her wounds a quick check. She had managed to staunch the flow of blood from her leg wound but she knew it would need some attention when the test was finally over. Her back still stung slightly but, of course, she couldn't see those wounds to assess them. The wound on her left side was now little more than a scratch and nothing to worry about.

_I suppose this is as good as it gets_, she thought with a sigh. _I'd better save those last two medpacs for now._

Master Uthar and Yuthura were standing in the middle of the frozen acid pool when she stepped through the door. She could see Yuthura study her with an expression of some concern as her gaze flicked over Brinna's wounds.

"So you return to us with the lightsaber in hand, as I knew you would," Uthar said. He sounded pleased.

"The Force has served you well," Yuthura added.


	23. A Brief Respite

Consciousness returned to Brinna in a sudden jolt and for one panicky instant, she thought she was still in the academy on Korriban. She sat bolt upright and would have leapt from the bunk if a familiar voice hadn't stopped her.

"Whoa, easy there. You're not on Korriban anymore," Jolee said.

"Thank the Force for that," Brinna said, feeling the tension drain out of her body. The adrenaline that had rushed through her system made her feel slightly queasy and she took a few breaths to steady herself. "Where are we?"

"On Dantooine," Jolee said, moving in to check her pulse.

Wearily, Brinna relented, though she wished he wouldn't fuss over her. She knew he could sense her thoughts because he gave her a stern look and she sighed. "What happened? All I remember is stepping back on the Hawk and then passing out. I didn't think I was that badly injured."

"You weren't, although you're going to have a nice scar on your leg. You collapsed because you were exhausted, mentally and physically."

Brinna could hear the undertone in his words but she really didn't feel like discussing Korriban. Instead, she decided to turn her attention to her own physical condition. Someone had removed her tattered Jedi robes and dressed her in the pants and sleeveless shirt she normally wore to bed. She rolled her right pant leg up and pursed her lips as she examined the jagged, livid pink skin on the back of it. Jolee was right; she was going to have a scar, although it certainly wasn't going to be "nice".

"Please tell me Canderous didn't change my clothes for me," Brinna joked, attempting to distract Jolee. She avoided his eyes as she pushed her pant leg down but she could feel his ponderous gaze on her all the same.

"No, he didn't. Bastila and Mission did. And you can't avoid thinking about Korriban forever," he told her.

"I know, but I can avoid it for a while at least. Why don't you help me by telling me why you decided to come with me?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject. She didn't ask the question simply to divert him, she truly wanted to know. He'd given her nothing but flippant answers but she suspected that he had his reasons and she wanted to know what they were. Sometimes she caught Jolee looking at her or gently probing into her mind via the Force and something just felt…off. Brinna believed that Jolee liked her but sometimes she felt like he was observing her as if she was some sort of unusual specimen and she wanted to know why.

Her question provoked Jolee to launch into one of his long-winded stories. She couldn't help but smile as she relented and listened to him ramble. He was a crafty old man. He pretended a tendency toward senility but Brinna was positive that it was all an act. Jolee was nothing if not shrewd and she had quickly learned that his rambling stories often held key bits of information, though she had yet to really make anything of those bits. It was as if he was trying to tell her something, however indirectly. She supposed she could come right out and ask him what he was getting at but she knew full well that he was not going to give her a straight answer. Either she would have to put his jigsaw clues together or she'd have to be content with not knowing.

"Your destiny is…rather unclear," Jolee was saying and Brinna found herself attending to his words more closely. There was a contemplative expression on his face but Brinna could see a flicker of something like wariness in his eyes and she found herself taken aback. "In fact, everything about you that I can see is odd. Slightly off, as if my eyes are trying to trick me. Something…something is very dark about you."

It was impossible to suppress the slight shiver that ran up her spine. Jolee's words made her feel a sense of panic and dread that she hadn't felt in some time. As much as she had always tried to deny her own darkness, Korriban had given her several unpleasant reminders.

"Not exactly the most consoling words I've ever heard," Brinna said when he had finished his story, lamely trying to make light of the situation.

Jolee shrugged. "It's the truth, however uncomfortable it makes you," he told her bluntly.

She sighed deeply. "Korriban was… I don't really know how to explain it. I guess it was just a reminder of what I could turn out to be, what could happen to me if I'm not always on my guard. It scared me," she said frankly.

"Fighting the dark side is never an easy battle," Jolee told her. "Korriban was a real test for you, but you passed. Just make sure you remember it every chance you get. Remember how you felt on that planet because you can't afford not to."

"I know," she said, looking down at her hands. Thoughts swirled around in her head, images of the violence and horror she'd experienced on Korriban and she found herself wincing. "The dark side… I don't ever want to succumb to it. I don't ever want to become what I saw on Korriban."

"So don't be a mindless bantha. Don't succumb to it. After all, I'd hate to have to make a Sith sandwich out of you," Jolee said in a strangely cheerful voice, as if she could simply snap her fingers and make the temptations of the dark side go away. She gaped up at him and he returned the gaze with a pleasant smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better go let that pilot of yours know that you're awake before he wears a hole in the floor with all his pacing."

Startled, Brinna stammered at him, "W-what do you mean?"

"Ah, the foolishness of youth. You think you have all the time you want and that's your worst problem," Jolee said, shaking his head with a condescending smile. "Carth was your most frequent visitor, you know."

Comprehension dawned on Brinna and she started at Jolee with blatant amazement. "Wait a minute…"

Jolee's smile grew wider. "Keeping Bastila distracted was a chore, I'll tell you that much. I don't think I've ever meditated so much in my life. I even let her talk me into a meeting with the Council. You'd better appreciate the lengths I went to."

"Are you...are you trying to play matchmaker or something?" Brinna asked, feeling her cheeks begin to blaze.

The other Jedi openly laughed at her. "I knew you never listen to anything I say. If you did, you'd know that the Council and I don't always see eye-to-eye. Anyway, I'm just trying to get it into your thick skulls that you two may just be good for each other."

"But I can't…it won't…," Brinna stuttered, confused. She didn't know whether to be furious or grateful for Jolee's interference.

"Bah! Stop gaping stupidly at me like a tach and save your protests," Jolee said. "My part is done. I leave it to you to work out the details."

Before she could say anything more, he turned and left the sick bay and she could do nothing more than stare open-mouthed after him. She wasn't alone for long, however, as no more than a few seconds after Jolee left, Mission ran into the bay and threw herself at Brinna.

"Ooof," Brinna protested as Mission bowled her over.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," Mission commanded, eyes blazing as she sat back and pinned Brinna with her gaze.

"But, Mission, I was just exhausted. Jolee told me that my wounds weren't all that severe…"

"No," Mission said, cutting her off. "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the whole time you were on Korriban. We didn't hear anything from you guys and Jolee, Bastila, and Juhani wouldn't say anything to me but I could tell from their expressions that things were bad."

Brinna's first instinct was to tell Mission placating lies but she could see from the look on the Twi'lek's face that Mission meant business. Besides, Mission was young but she was no baby. She had proven herself to be a frighteningly mature young woman and Brinna felt that she owed it to Mission to treat her like an adult. Under the worry and anger, Brinna could see the fear in Mission's eyes and it upset her to think that Mission had been stricken with worry while Jolee, Bastila, and Juhani, with their Force senses, had wandered around looking concerned but not sharing anything with Mission. Brinna could only imagine how scary and frustrating that might have been for the Twi'lek teen, with no one to comfort her but Zaalbar, who wouldn't know any more than she about what was happening.

"Well, it was bad," Brinna said carefully. She would be truthful with Mission but there was no reason for her to share all the gory details. "The dark side was just so strong and…tempting. It was a constant battle and it wore me out."

Mission nodded tersely. "I was worried about you."

"I'm okay," Brinna said, hugging Mission in return. "I really wish we could have come back to the ship every night but I just thought that might look too strange. I was supposed to be a student at the academy so I tried my best to act like one."

"I heard," Mission said. A mischievous expression came over her face. "I also heard that you told the Sith Masters that Carth and Canderous were your slaves."

Brinna grinned in response. "Yeah, I did."

"I bet Canderous just loved that," Mission told her, her smile widening.

"He probably had to go do some sort of barbaric Mandalorian cleansing ritual when we landed here just to get rid of the taint of having pretended to be subservient to me," Brinna joked.

Mission laughed. "It probably didn't help that he lost fifty credits to me at Pazaak the first day we were here."

"That's my girl," Brinna said. Then she frowned as Mission's words sank in. "The first day? How long have we been here?"  
"Today's the third day," Mission told her.

"I slept for two days?" Brinna asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Mission said seriously, studying Brinna's face.

"Nothing like reinforcing Bastila's opinion of me as lazy," Brinna said wryly.

"She doesn't think you're lazy," Mission said, surprising Brinna. "She was worried about you. I've never seen her like that before. I didn't even think she could get like that."

"Wow," Brinna said, not knowing what else to say. She was too busy trying to process the information Mission had just given her.

"Everyone's been worried about you," Mission continued. "Even Canderous. I think Jolee was going to Force Trip him if he asked Jolee one more question about the methods he was using to heal you."

The image of Jolee and Canderous butting heads made Brinna smile in spite of herself. "The more I try to keep you all from worrying, the more you all end up having to worry," she sighed.

"Don't worry, we're getting used to it," Mission teased her. "And, anyway, Canderous has been in a bad mood ever since we landed here. I guess he ran into some Mandalorian he knew and the guy challenged him to a duel on the Dune Sea on Tatooine."

Brinna frowned deeply. "What? Why?"

"I don't know. He's not exactly offering a lot of detail about the situation," Mission told her.

"What's with Tatooine?" Brinna asked. "First we find out Bastila's mother's there and now this."

"And that's not all," Mission said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. She dropped her gaze from Brinna and began to pluck at the blanket sitting heaped on the bunk.

"Mission? Is everything okay?" Brinna asked, concerned.

"Oh, yeah. I just ran into the floozy that took off from Taris with Griff and she claims he's working for Czerka on Tatooine," she said in a falsely casual tone.

Brinna blinked rapidly a few times, trying to make sense of the overwhelming amount of information she'd been given in such a short time. "Do you want to look for him?" she asked gently.

"I probably should," Mission said, still employing the false casual tone. "After all, he's still my brother, right? It wasn't his fault that cantina rat convinced him to run off and leave me behind. Besides, he always said he'd come back for me one day, when he'd made some money. He didn't want to leave me behind but it was for the best."

Keeping her own opinions about Griff to herself was hard, but Brinna somehow managed it. He had to be a very special sort of sleaze to take off and leave his kid sister behind to fend for herself on a cesspool planet like Taris but Mission had been through enough and Brinna would not compound it by insulting the brother about whom Mission clearly had conflicting feelings. "We'll find him," she promised.

"Thank you for helping me again," Mission told her.

"Anytime, Mission, anytime."

"You up for more visitors?" a voice from the doorway asked.

Brinna and Mission looked up to see Carth standing there, smiling at Brinna. Out of the corner of her eye, Brinna saw Mission grin mischievously.

"Oh, you know what? I forgot that I'm supposed to meet Big Z in the shop. I've finally convinced him to brush those choppers of his so I need to go help him pick out a toothbrush," Mission said, bouncing up from her seat on Brinna's bunk and breezing past Carth.

_It's a conspiracy,_ Brinna thought ruefully, feeling suddenly self-conscious in Carth's presence. She thought she might like to shake some sense into both Jolee and Mission. While she was done denying her own attraction to Carth, she certainly couldn't act on it, even if Carth was interested—and that was a whole separate can of worms that she wasn't even going to open. She already had enough to worry about.

"How are you feeling?" Carth asked her.

"A lot better, thanks," she responded. All at once, the awkwardness she felt was forgotten in favor of more pressing issues. "Dustil! Carth, he wasn't in the academy when…"

"No, he wasn't," Carth said, interrupting her gently. "Don't worry. He left shortly after Master Uthar and Yuthura took you to the Tomb of Naga Sadow."

"Did you get a chance to speak to him again?" Brinna asked, broaching the delicate topic as carefully as she could.

"No, but we really couldn't, even if he'd wanted to. It would have looked funny for him to be talking to your supposed slave."

"I guess you're right," Brinna said, feeling disappointed for him. "I'm glad he made it out okay, though. If he'd still been in the academy when the fighting started…"

"Hey," Carth said, moving over and sitting down next to her on the bunk. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "That wasn't your fault. That's the nature of the Sith, to try to seize power when one of their Masters falls."  
"I know," Brinna said. "I guess…well, I guess I never really understood your experiences with the Sith until now. I've been lucky enough to not really have had to deal with them until recently. What I saw on Korriban…those are things I won't soon forget."  
"I know," he said, moving his other hand so that her own was clasped between both of his.

The memory of her trials in the tomb came back to her with sudden vividness and she closed her eyes, grateful for Carth's comforting presence beside her. Her hand felt warm and safe in his and she found herself fervently hoping that he wasn't planning on letting it go anytime soon.

"What was it like in that tomb?" he asked her quietly.

She shuddered and kept her eyes closed, remembering. "Well, between the wraids, the terentateks, the mines, the traps, killing Uthar, and having to fight Yuthura, I'd have to say that it wasn't exactly the highlight of my life."

"Terentateks? As in more than one?" he asked, alarm evident in his voice.

Brinna opened her eyes and smiled grimly at him. "As in two."

"That you made it out of there in one piece…well, it's nothing short of amazing," he said. He was holding onto her hand very tightly, as if he was afraid she might disappear if he let go. "You're just so…strong. I really don't know what to say other than I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. If I could have been there to help you, I would have been."

"I know, Carth," she said. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

She surprised herself by leaning over and pressing a brief kiss to his cheek. His grip on her hand tightened even more and then, suddenly, he was pressing a kiss of his own to her cheek, his lips lingering longer than hers had.

"Thank you again for all you did to help me with Dustil," he said softly. His face was very, very close to hers and Brinna found herself staring at him, dazed.

"You're welcome," she managed to reply. They sat staring at one another, their faces centimeters apart, for a moment. Brinna's heart had just begun to pound in anticipation when he pulled away from her and gently released her hand. She wanted to scream in frustration.

"I have good news for you," he told her.

"You do?" she asked, trying her best to force her mind away from thoughts of his kissing her cheek.

"Yuthura Ban is here," he said.

"What?" she asked, her full attention now focused on his words. Her eyes widened. "She's here?"

Carth smiled. "Yes and I know she'd like to talk to you."

Brinna jumped up from the bunk, hastily pushing her hair out of her face. "I can't believe she made it! Thank you for telling me, Carth. I can't tell you how glad I am to know that some good came out of that whole situation," she prattled at him as she bent over to retrieve her clothes from her footlocker. When she stood back up, she could have sworn that she had caught him eyeing her, but that may have just been a byproduct of her wishful thinking.

"I'll clear out so you can get dressed," he told her, standing up from the bunk. He paused for a second in the doorway. "She's at the far end of the outer courtyard. I'm really glad that you're all right."

He disappeared before she could reply and her mind wandered as she dressed. It did a lot of wandering to the kiss, even though she tried her best to divert it in other directions. She sighed aloud as she pulled her hair back and secured it with a band.

_I'm acting like one of those witless heroines from those stupid holovid romances,_ she told herself. She could almost hear Bastila berating her.

The Ebon Hawk was deserted when she exited the sick bay, so she wasted no time in going out to the outer courtyard to see Yuthura. Brinna had seen something in Yuthura, something special, and she had known that Yuthura's fall to the dark side had to have been a terrible loss for the Jedi. The intelligent, articulate Twi'lek held so much promise that Brinna couldn't stand to see it wasted on the greed and depravity of the Sith and she had high hopes that things would work out very well for Yuthura now that she had returned to the Jedi.

Yuthura was pleased to see Brinna and the two women talked for some time about Yuthura's experiences with the Sith and her plans for the future. Yuthura admitted that the dark side continued to tempt her and that she found it difficult at times not to give in to her anger and exercise her power, as the Sith Code had taught. However, she also told Brinna that she felt freer than she ever had. Brinna could sense the change in her friend and was glad for it.

Their conversation turned to the slavers that Yuthura had once wanted to fight and Brinna was disturbed to hear that the Twi'lek's time with the Sith had caused her to forget about her desire to do something about the injustices of slavery.

_You think you control it,_ Brinna mused. _But, really, the dark side controls you._

Brinna had felt its pull, had fought against the desire to succumb to the temptation to give herself over to it. The dark side had whispered in her mind, had told her that if she only learned to become in touch with her darker side, she would have unimaginable power, power enough to stop Malak. Now, after having met Yuthura, Brinna could see just how insidious the dark side was. Yuthura had given herself over to it, impatient with what she had seen as the Jedi's failure to act quickly enough on the issue of slavery but once she had succumbed, her noble goals had faded in favor of her attempt to gain power. They would have been lost altogether, had she not managed to break free of the dark side. Brinna never wanted that to happen to her. She never wanted to lose sight of the people and things that were important to her. The dark side wanted to consume her, not help her. She would remember that. She had only to look at Yuthura and Juhani to find all the proof she needed of it.

"Why don't you come with me?" Brinna asked Yuthura. "I could use you at my side."

"That's…very tempting. But I'm not ready to leave here, yet. And I don't belong on the path you have to take…I told you that on Korriban. It's still true. But…perhaps you could come back, afterwards. I could certainly use a friend, then," Yuthura suggested.

Though disappointed, Brinna was not surprised that Yuthura had turned her down. The truth was, in her heart of hearts, she knew that Yuthura was making the right decision. The Twi'lek needed the serenity of Dantooine and the presence of her old master to help her to reclaim the parts of herself she had lost to the dark side. Brinna would have really liked to get to know Yuthura better but the Twi'lek was not ready to face the kind of darkness that Brinna continued to face. For now, Yuthura's place was at the enclave.

"I'd be glad to be your friend, Yuthura," Brinna said.

"That's good. I look forward to that time. Perhaps we can travel together, then."

"I've got to go," Brinna said regretfully. Dusk had begun to settle over the grasslands of Dantooine and Brinna knew that she was losing precious time. Every day that passed was a day that brought Malak closer to his goals. They would have to leave for Tatooine first thing in the morning and there were things to be done before their departure.

"Then may the Force be with you, my friend. I hope we will see each other again."

The two women clasped hands before Brinna left. She walked slowly toward the entrance of the enclave but, in spite of voice in her head telling her she had no time to fool around, the gentle breezes and warmth of the evening air slowed her steps. The moment felt precious to her and she felt an inexplicable sadness as she looked out over the waving grasses. The courtyard was becoming deserted as the inhabitants of the enclave retired inside its walls and the residents of Dantooine returned to their homes. Brinna seated herself on one of the low walls, facing out toward the grasslands, and she closed her eyes and let the wind play over her skin.

"I thought I'd find you here," a voice just behind her said.


	24. Sexist Pigs, Jawas, and Homicidal Droids

The flight to Tatooine had seemed interminable in length. Brinna and Canderous had drawn first shift and it had been fun to shoot the breeze with him but the more time passed, the more uneasy she began to feel and she did not know why. It was frustrating not to be able to put her finger on the source of her discomfort. She knew that it wasn't a dread of Tatooine itself for, while it wasn't exactly her favorite place to visit, she'd been there several times and had never found anything particularly nerve-wracking about it.

Once their shift ended, she and Canderous drifted off toward their respective quarters. The women's bunks were dark and quiet and Brinna made as little noise as possible as she changed her clothes and crept into her own bunk. She was tired and she closed her eyes gratefully but sleep eluded her. She kept hearing Jolee's voice ringing in her head, telling her that there was something off about her, that something was dark about her.

_Nonsense. He was just rambling as he's so wont to do,_ she scoffed but there was a part of her that could not dismiss what Jolee had said. Sure, he was good at spewing nonsense but he was also wise and he had not been joking when he'd said what he had about her. She shivered slightly, unnerved by the sensation that Jolee knew something about her that she didn't know herself.

Sleep finally came to her but it was a restless one and, before long, she was having yet another Star Map dream. This time the map appeared to be in a cave and was surrounded by broken, tumble down pieces of statuary that looked very familiar to her, thanks to all the time she'd spent tomb raiding on Korriban. As soon as the dream ended, her eyes snapped open and she vaulted out of her bunk, dressing hastily before hurrying off in search of Bastila.

Bastila was in the cockpit with Carth and the other Jedi met Brinna with a brief nod of acknowledgement before she began talking of their shared vision. Carth was silent and Brinna thought it was because he was concentrating on landing in the spaceport but once the ship had touched down, he turned and looked at her with an expression of both wariness and concern.

"I still would like to know just why you two share this bond," he said.

Brinna threw her hands up in the air. "That makes three of us, I'm sure," she told Carth, her lack of sleep making her impatient. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bastila stiffen at Carth's words.

"It is not always clear to even the wisest of the Jedi why the Force works as it does," Bastila said, her voice taking on the cold, formal air that she did so well.

Carth did not look happy at the rebuke and he closed his mouth, keeping his lips pressed in a firm line as he turned to look out into the spaceport.

"Look, I know tempers are wearing a bit thin and all but this is no time for us to be fighting with each other," Brinna said with a sigh. She rubbed her throbbing temples as she continued. "Carth, if I could explain this bond to you, I would. But I can't. I don't know why it exists or what caused it or if it's a permanent thing but it's here now and all that Bastila and I can do is try to bear with it as best we can."

She watched as the tension drained out of his shoulders and he sighed so softly that it was almost inaudible. "I know," he said. "I just hate not knowing what's going on."

"I know you do. So do the rest of us," Brinna said, moving over to Carth and putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I suggest we prepare ourselves for we have much to accomplish here," Bastila said, her voice stiff. Brinna could read the Jedi Disapproval in Bastila's glance as she made a point of gazing directly at Brinna's hand on Carth's shoulder.

_You know it is wrong,_ Bastila said.

Angry with herself for doing so, Brinna dropped her hand from Carth's shoulder as if it had suddenly turned hot and was burning her. _I thought we agreed not to discuss this any further,_ Brinna responded, struggling to maintain her patience.

Bastila stared at her for a long moment before turning on her heel and stalking elegantly out of the cockpit, head held as high as if she were a member of royalty.

"You want to tell me what was going on between the two of you?" Carth asked.

"Nothing, really," Brinna lied. She could feel a slight blush steal over her cheeks and she turned away from him. She didn't like hiding things from him but she could hardly be honest with him about why Bastila was so bent out of shape.

"It didn't seem like nothing," Carth said lightly but he didn't pursue the matter further, much to Brinna's vast relief. "Bastila's right about one thing, we should get going. Aside from finding the Star Map, we have Bastila's mother and Mission's brother to find and Canderous is supposed to have his little encounter on the Dune Sea."

With a start, Brinna realized that he was right. She'd been so caught up in her own troubles that she'd forgotten all of the troubles her crewmates had to face on Tatooine.

They went out into the common room and sat down to eat with the others. Practically every muscle in Canderous's body was tense and he looked as if he'd crush anyone who came near him. Mission sat quietly throughout the meal, her face rather pale and drawn.

When the others cleared away from the table, Brinna seized the opportunity to lean over and ask Mission, "Everything okay?"

Mission sighed. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just thinking about Griff."

"I know," Brinna said, reaching out to squeeze the Twi'lek's hand. "I don't want to leave you behind on the ship but…"

"It's okay," Mission said, squeezing Brinna's hand in return and smiling wanly. "I know how much the Sith want your blood and since you were jumped by Dark Jedi on Kashyyyk, I'd say the chances that it'll happen here too are pretty good. No offense, but I'd rather hang out with Big Z than fight Dark Jedi with you."  
Brinna was relieved to hear it and though protecting Mission from Dark Jedi was certainly on her agenda, her real reason for leaving Mission behind was because she wanted to question some Czerka representatives about Griff's whereabouts. If something had happened to him, she wanted to know it before Mission could hear about it so that she could be the one to break it to the teen. The last thing Brinna wanted was for some stranger to be the one to break bad news about Griff to Mission.

She and Mission exchanged a quick hug before Brinna went looking for Canderous. He was right where she'd suspected he'd be, hunched over the workbench as he fiddled with his weapons. The look on his face would have scared a rancor away but Brinna approached him anyway.

"I know you're anxious to face Jagi," she said, without preamble, "but I need you to stay here for now. I'm willing to bet that Bastila's mom is in the town and not wandering around the desert so I'd like to take care of that first."

"And, of course, you can't leave loverboy behind," Canderous told her, looking up at her with a sardonic twist to his mouth.

Flushing slightly with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, Brinna said, "Watch your tongue, Mandalorian, or I just might cut it out."

To her surprise, Canderous grinned, his tension evaporating, albeit temporarily. "There's the fiery Jedi I know. You're a looker, no doubt, but you're as likely to gouge a man's eyes out as acknowledge his glance."

Naturally, Carth walked into the room at that moment. He acted as if he had not heard what Canderous had said but Brinna had not missed the expression on his face. "You ready?" Carth asked.

"Yes," Brinna said, turning away in disgust as Canderous leaned against the bench and graced Carth with an indolent smile. She'd left her pack next to the workbench and she seized it so roughly that a couple of medpacs flew out and clattered to the ground.

"Let me help you with those," Canderous said in a voice of exaggerated politeness as he bent down and collected them for her. He presented them to her with a flourish. "Anything else I can do for you?"

Brinna would have liked to tell him exactly what he could do but she held her tongue and took the medpacs from him, settling for an angry glare that he met with a broad smile. Bastila swept into the room and Brinna saw a wicked gleam in Canderous's eye.

"Good morning, Princess," he said to Bastila.

The gaze Bastila leveled on him was so full of scorn and disgust that she could have been looking at an insect that she'd accidentally squished with one of her highly-polished boots. "You know I detest it when you call me that," she said, her voice so cold Brinna wondered that Canderous didn't freeze to death instantly.

Instead, he swept Bastila a bow. "Don't let me hold you three up. I know you've got important things to do," he said, exiting the room.

The tension in the air was so thick Brinna could have cut it with her lightsabers and she mentally muttered a curse at Canderous as she turned to her two companions. "Are you both ready?" Two tense nods were her reply. "Right, let's go then," Brinna said, trying not to sigh in exasperation.

As soon as they stepped outside, they were accosted by a Czerka customs agent. Brinna thought the docking fee was exorbitant but she paid it just to stop the guy from nattering away at her. Ever since Kashyyyk, she had looked at Czerka with a somewhat less than approving eye and though she knew she shouldn't take it out on the poor grunt of a custom's agent, just the name of the company was enough to make her mad. She was, however, able to gather one piece of advice that might prove useful. The agent had suggested that she speak to the jawas about artifacts and she made a mental note to do so.

They had no sooner moved away from the customs agent when Brinna found herself being addressed by an aqualish who informed her that he'd deposited the "cargo" on her ship. Puzzled, she tried to tell him he must have made a mistake but he muttered something about distribution of cargo always being disorganized, informed her that the gizka were now her problem, and then took off.

"Gizka?" she asked, turning to Carth and Bastila.

They both looked as confused as she felt and so she shrugged and decided they might as well move on. Canderous was already on her list; he could be left to deal with the gizka, whatever they were.

The sun blazed down on them with a vengeance as they stepped out into Anchorhead proper. Brinna was pretty clueless as to where they should go but a little questioning of one of the locals convinced her that she ought to seek out the hunting lodge.

Just outside of the door of the hunting lodge, a desperate-looking woman stood. She introduced herself as Sharina Fizark and implored Brinna to purchase a wraid plate from her. Brinna learned that the plate was a trophy from one of Sharina's husband's hunting expeditions but her husband had tragically died before he could gather any more or sell the one he'd obtained. The haunted look in Sharina's eyes could not help but touch Brinna's heart and she agreed to purchase the plate from the woman and gave Sharina an extra two hundred credits above the asking price. An overjoyed Sharina thanked Brinna, declaring that she and her children were saved and would now have enough credits to purchase transport to Coruscant.

"Thank you for helping that woman. It may not seem like such a great thing to you, but you are making a difference," Bastila said, astonishing Brinna. She wasn't used to hearing praise from the other Jedi and she stared at Bastila in blatant disbelief. Brinna could sense Bastila's wariness and something that felt faintly of hope and then Bastila turned away and Brinna could feel the other Jedi doing what she could to break the connection between them. With one last glance at Bastila, Brinna led them into the hunting lodge.

Once inside, she surveyed the room carefully. There was an Ithorian standing in the middle whom she took for the owner of the place. Several tables had been set up along the walls of the room and Brinna could see a Twi'lek, multiple humans, and a trio of Gamorreans. Stepping forward, she addressed the Ithorian, learning that his name was Fazza and that he couldn't buy the wraid plate she offered him because she didn't have a hunting license. He told her Czerka used them to keep track of everyone who went in and out of Anchorhead and that one could be purchased at the Czerka office.

When she was finished speaking with Fazza, Brinna began to move about the room, chatting with the hunters. The Twi'lek was named Komad and he told her that he was hunting krayt dragons. She was able to glean a bit of information from him about the other hunters, the most noteworthy being that one of them used battle droids, much to Komad's disgust, and that he was wary of the Gamorreans.

Brinna didn't miss the moue of distaste on Carth's face when she led him and Bastila over to the Gamorreans. The creatures immediately began mocking her but though she had little patience for them, she still felt they might have some information that would prove useful to her. She made little progress with them, however.

"There's only one language you Gamorreans ever understand, a blaster to your forehead," Carth said angrily as the creatures continued to abuse Brinna.

She agreed with him, though she kept her opinion to herself. She could see why the Gamorreans made Komad uneasy and with one last disgusted look at the creatures, she led Bastila and Carth away.

A human man was seated at the next table and as Brinna approached, he gave her a slow, blatant once over that made her grind her teeth and wish for patience. She put what she hoped was a pleasant smile on her face as she addressed him. He looked about shiftily and asked if his wife had sent her. Frowning, Brinna told him she was just looking to ask a few questions.

"Well of course, darling, whatever Tanis Venn can do. You know, very few human females come to Tatooine…" he said, leering at her. Her stomach turned.

"Hey! You talk to her with a bit of respect in your voice or you'll end this conversation minus a few teeth. Got it?" Carth asked, breaking into the conversation.

The burst of chivalry was as endearing as it was unexpected and Brinna found herself flushing slightly as she turned and met his eye. She could see that he was ticked just by the way he held his jaw taut. His hands twitched at his sides and she knew he was itching to draw his vibroblades. The flattery she felt over Carth's defense of her and the disgust Tanis had provoked combined to give her a very strange feeling.

"Hey, hey, hey, let's calm down, shall we?" Tanis asked smoothly, holding his hands up, palms out. "No offense was meant. You just go ahead and ask your questions."

Brinna could feel her lip curling as she said, "I'm looking for something. Who knows this planet best?"

"Well, darling, old Tanis might be just what you need. Unless you mean the dunes. I suppose only the Sand People really know them. It's serious business. I'm sure I could help you through it." The grin Tanis offered was nothing short of lecherous and Brinna could hear Carth shift behind her and could sense Bastila's extreme disgust and dislike for the man.

"You are pretty forward for a married man," Brinna told him, meeting his leer with a challenging gaze.

"He seems pretty forward, period," Bastila said, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Ooh, you're a sour one. Loosen up, we're all friend here," Tanis told Bastila.

"Perhaps you had best turn your thoughts back to your wife, sir," Bastila responded.

"Ah, the old girl doesn't understand me," Tanis said, giving Brinna what he probably thought was a pitiful gaze. She wanted to tell him that she could see why his wife had no desire to understand a pig like him. "Her loss. Now, you have questions about the Sand People or something."

It was a true test of her patience but Brinna managed to tolerate Tanis long enough to quiz him about the Sand People and the jawas. She also asked him about his hunting ventures and was not surprised to find that he was the hunter who used battle droids.

"That man was completely repugnant," Bastila said once they were outside the lodge. The vehemence of her reaction to Tanis had startled Brinna and she found herself looking at Bastila in wonderment. The other Jedi did such a good job of playing the part of the ice princess that it was disconcerting to see her show such emotion. It reminded Brinna of the way Bastila had blown up after their battle with Brejik. Perhaps the young Jedi was not as controlled as she tried to pretend she was.

"I can't believe the way he talked to you and the way he looked at you," Carth said to Brinna. She could hear the indignation in his voice.

Brinna suppressed a smile. Carth's show of protectiveness made her feel a warm glow that she hadn't felt in some time. She longed to say something to him about it but there was no way she was going to do so while in Bastila's presence, especially after what had happened earlier that morning in the cockpit.

"I've had worse," Brinna told him lightly. "Don't forget about Yun Genda."

"Thanks a lot for reminding me," Carth muttered as they started walking again.

Suddenly, Brinna found herself nearly bowled over by a Duros who was ranting about a woman named Helena. When he finally noticed Brinna, he directed his rants toward her.

"I swear, 'Helena' must be your word for pit rancor," the Duros fumed.

Something clicked in Brinna's mind and she turned and asked Bastila if her mother's name was Helena. Bastila's tightly pursed lips told Brinna all she needed to know. The Duros stared at them in disbelief when Brinna asked him where he'd seen Helena and expressed his opinion that they must be crazy if they were purposely seeking her out.

Bastila's lips remained tightly pursed as they stopped in the Czerka office on their way to the cantina. There was another Duros inside the office and this one was in the midst of a loud diatribe that was directed at a black-haired Czerka employee. When Brinna made the mistake of asking him what the shouting was about, he commenced to shout at her instead.

"It's a good day for ranting Duros," Carth murmured dryly in her ear as the Duros finished shouting and stormed out of the office.

"No kidding," Brinna muttered back at him.

The Czerka employee acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. She told Brinna that the company was having trouble with the Sand People, who were attacking the sandcrawlers sent out on mining expeditions. It seemed that the Sand People had captured and killed many of the employees and Brinna learned that Griff was one of the captives.

_Great. Just great. Now I'm going to have to figure out a way to liberate Mission_'_s worthless brother from the Sand People,_ Brinna thought in exasperation.

With a great deal of reluctance, Brinna agreed to take care of the Sand People for Czerka in exchange for a hunting license. She knew enough about Czerka to question if their motives were as pure as the female employee tried to make them sound. Brinna vowed that she would do what she could to check the Czerka story out before she went rushing into the Sand People enclave, lightsabers blazing.

Brinna was still trying to figure out just how she could go about getting the full story on the conflict between Czerka and the Sand People when she stepped outside and the Duros she'd seen inside the office came rushing up to her. He asked Brinna if she was the one who'd been hired to kill the Sand People and when Brinna mildly responded that she'd agreed to look into the matter, the Duros launched into an explanation that helped Brinna understand why he'd been so indignant with the woman in the office.

The Duros said that the Czerka had no interest in communicating with the Sand People and sought only to destroy them. When Brinna asked him about the attacks on Czerka employees, the Duros asserted that the Sand People likely saw the Czerka mining operations as an invasion as there'd been no discussion between the Czerka and the Sand People about territory or resources.

She mulled over what the Duros told her and decided that he had a valid point. Though the brutal murders of the miners still bothered her, Brinna knew what Czerka was and she had little doubt that they had not treated the Sand People kindly. She asked the Duros how he suggested she communicate with them and he told her there was a droid at the mechanic Yuka Laka's shop that understood the Sand People dialect. He suggested that she obtain the droid, dress in the robes of fallen Sand People warriors, and then enter the compound and speak with the chieftain.

"It's suicide," Carth said impatiently as they walked away from the Duros.

Brinna sighed deeply. "It's not the best idea, I agree. But what else can we do? I don't want to just go on a murderous rampage through the Sand People enclave if Czerka has been taking advantage of them and I doubt they'd trust any overtures of diplomacy that we might make. I really can't see any other way to go about this."  
Carth paused, shaking his head at her in disbelief. "Sometimes I think you're downright reckless," he accused.

"If you don't want to come…" Brinna began, rubbing her forehead tiredly.

"Oh no! There's no way I'm letting you go in there alone. I'm coming. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Of course I don't but that hasn't stopped me so far, has it?" Brinna snapped. She bit her lips, wishing the words had come out a little less sharply.

To her surprise, Carth shook his head at her again but there was a smile on his face. "You really are something," he told her.

She could feel herself blushing slightly and she could sense the probing tendrils Bastila sent out her way. She resisted Bastila and smiled at Carth in relief. "Give me a little credit, flyboy," she told him. "You're just used to careful military tactics. You haven't yet learned to trust in my methods."

"Was that supposed to be reassuring?" he teased.

"Perhaps we should attempt to find this droid," Bastila broke in, before either of them could say anything more.

_Remember your duty,_ Bastila's voice said inside Brinna's head, chastising her.

_Remember your place,_ Brinna responded tartly. _I'll give you a hint: it's not inside my head._

Bastila flushed with displeasure but Brinna ignored her and began walking once more, leading them toward the cantina. As she walked, she fumed and then almost laughed when she remembered that the first Duros had called Bastila's mother a pit rancor.

_Now I know where Bastila gets it from,_ Brinna thought wryly.

Suddenly, she sensed some very unwelcome presences and her head snapped up. The bond between her and Bastila surged fully to life. Without words, Bastila and Brinna conveyed their acknowledgement of the presences of the Dark Jedi to one another. In tandem, they freed their lightsabers from their belts.

"What's going on?" Carth whispered.

"Dark Jedi. They're coming," Brinna murmured.

The air was suddenly rent with the snap and hiss of several lightsabers being activated. Brinna tightened her grip on her own weapons as they sprang to life. When the Dark Jedi rounded the corner, she was ready for them and lashed out, calling on the Force to put them in stasis.

She succeeded with two of the Dark Jedi but the third used his own command of the Force to inflict some dark power on Brinna. She clamped her hands over her temples with a small cry. The pain she felt was piercing and it was all she could do to hold onto consciousness. She was vaguely aware of the sounds of battle as Carth and Bastila laid into the Dark Jedi but she could do nothing more than clutch her temples and hope that her head would not split in half.

It took her several moments to recover and, by the time she had, the other two Dark Jedi had just been roused from their stasis and were besetting Carth and Bastila. Once more, Brinna called on the Force but this time to give her extra speed. The Dark Jedi weren't even aware that she had recovered until she was raining blows down upon him.

The battle lasted for some time and when it was finished, Brinna could still feel the residual effects of the dark powers that had been inflicted upon her. Wincing, she bent over and placed her hands on her knees but a few seconds later she felt blessed relief as Bastila called upon the Force to heal their wounds.

"Looks like Mission was right," Brinna panted.

"What do you mean?" Bastila asked.

"She guessed there'd be Dark Jedi waiting here for us."

Bastila frowned. "Darth Malak is growing bolder. We had best proceed with caution and as quickly as possible."

Brinna nodded her agreement. "We definitely can't let him get his hands on you," she told Bastila.

There was a brief pause as a sort of pall passed over Bastila's features. Brinna could sense something at work in Bastila's mind but just as she became aware of it, the other Jedi closed herself off. "No, we can't allow that," Bastila finally said. She turned and began to lead them toward the cantina.

Brinna glanced over at Carth and saw her confusion mirrored in his expression. "What was that about?" he asked.

"I don't know," Brinna said uneasily.

Carth studied her for a moment but said nothing, finally turning and following Bastila. Brinna followed suit.

_There's something she's not telling me,_ a small voice inside Brinna's mind insisted. _There's something she and the Council are holding back from me._

"Ridiculous," she muttered to herself, forcing her thoughts away from that direction so that she could concentrate on the task at hand.

Just inside the door to the cantina, Brinna was almost bowled over by a jawa and the little creature chittered at her excitedly. It was difficult to follow him but she'd done a bit of trading with the jawas in the past and she was able to make out most of what he said. There seemed to be a problem amongst his people and he asked if she might help them and then expressed his doubt that she would care.

"Those jawas sure aren't the trusting type, are they?" Carth asked when she'd translated the gist of the conversation for him and Bastila.

"No doubt with good reason," Bastila replied.

"Well, for once, I'll agree with you," Carth said.

Relief shot through Brinna and she couldn't resist adding, "You two agreed? Somebody mark this day down."

Carth shot her a mock-sour look but Bastila didn't even react to her words. Turning slight, Brinna could see why. A woman who bore an unmistakable resemblance to Bastila stood a short distance from them. Almost as if she were sleep walking, Bastila slowly approached the older woman. Brinna could sense the torrent of emotions within the other Jedi and it startled her.

"Yes, I'm sorry, do I know you?" the woman asked.

"I am here, Mother. Or don't you recognize me?" Bastila responded, her voice hard.

"What do you expect when I haven't so much as had a picture of you since you left? Do you know how long I've been trying to find you?" Helena asked sharply.

"You knew as well as I communication would be impossible once I joined the Order. Now what is this about? Where is Father?"

"Then you haven't heard. I should have known."  
"Has something happened to him? Are you going to tell me or not?" Bastila's voice betrayed little but she was apparently too overwrought to block herself off from Brinna and Brinna could feel the fear that surged through Bastila as acutely as if it were her own.

"Your father is dead, Bastila. That is part of the reason why I was looking for you," Helena said. The flat way she spoke the words chilled Brinna. Everything about the reunion thus far chilled her.

"Dead? What happened? What did you do to him?"

"Isn't this a lovely reunion?" Helena asked sarcastically, turning to Brinna. "Already she is flinging insults at me. Tell me…you're one of her friends. Do you treat your own mother this way?"

The words brought Brinna her own flash of pain and she felt herself grimace. "My mother is long dead, if you must know," she replied tightly.

"Is that so? Well, I'll be joining her soon enough, I suppose," Helena remarked, her voice almost casual.

The conversation just continued to devolve from there. Brinna was stunned by the nasty and hurtful responses that mother and daughter directed toward on another and the depth of Bastila's repugnance for her own mother made Brinna feel slightly ill. She watched the two of them direct cutting remarks at one another until it left her nearly numb.

It seemed Bastila's father had been killed during a hunting expedition and Helena wanted Bastila to find his holocron. Though Bastila brushed her mother off and claimed that they wouldn't have time to search for it, Brinna could feel just how desperately the other Jedi longed to find her father's holocron.

"Do you want to talk?" Brinna asked gently, once they were outside of the cantina.

Bastila's hands were shaking visibly and she took deep breaths of the dry desert air as she calmed herself. Brinna could still feel Bastila's emotions and they were every bit as turbulent as a storm-tossed sea.

"About my mother?" Bastila asked. "I am unsure. I seem to find it difficult to remain objective when it comes to her. I find that…disturbing."

"You don't think we should look for the holocron?"

"We have more important things to do," Bastila insisted, but her emotions betrayed her words. "Still…my father is dead. Just because we find the holocron doesn't mean I have to give it to her."  
"You'd keep it for yourself?" Brinna asked incredulously. She heard Carth stir beside her and she guessed he was every bit as taken aback by what Bastila had just said.

"I don't know. Part of me would keep it just so she didn't get it. I don't like that part of me. I would have thought my training would have put me past this kind of pettiness. I wish…I really don't want to think about this." With that, Bastila turned and strode off toward the droid shop.

Carth and Brinna exchanged a glance but said nothing. He appeared to be every bit as stunned by Bastila's behavior as Brinna was. By the time they caught up with Bastila, she was already at the door of Yuka Laka's shop.

Brinna explained to the Ithorian that she'd been told he had a translation droid available and Yuka Laka acknowledged that he had a droid called HK-47 that had this capability, but he seemed to know precious little else about the droid. Frowning, Brinna tried to probe a bit further but to no avail. The Ithorian gestured toward the back of his shop and told her she was welcome to speak to the droid if she wished.

The droid turned out to be like no other droid that Brinna had ever before encountered. There was something sinister about him yet, at the same time, Brinna could not help but find some of his statements humorous, despite her better judgment. After asking him a series of questions, she decided to buy him and he advised her that Yuka Laka was raising his price out of a sense of greed and that the Ithorian might be more receptive to "aggressive" negotiation tactics.

"Are you certain purchasing that droid is wise?" Bastila whispered to her. Carth was busy eyeing HK-47 uneasily.

With a sigh, Brinna said, "I won't lie and say I don't have my concerns about him but we need him. I can't speak the Sand People dialect and, as far as I know, none of the rest of you can either."

"Very well," Bastila responded.

Brinna purchased the droid from Yuka Laka, much to HK-47's apparent relief. "Statement: I see you have purchased me, master," he said, as she returned to him. "I find this a satisfactory arrangement. My restraining bolt will be deactivated when you take possession of me. Am I to accompany you now? Shall I kill something for you?"

"Kill something for me?" Brinna asked, staring at the droid in disbelief.

"If that bucket of bolts…" Carth murmured, but she didn't catch the rest of what he said.

"Answer: Indeed. I am most eager to engage in some unadulterated violence. At your command, of course, master."

She could feel the doubt emanating from Bastila and Carth was still muttering under his breath. "Travel with me now," Brinna said uncertainly, choosing to ignore HK-47's previous comments.

"Statement: I will enter into your service now, master. I am certain you will make adequate use of my primary functions. My gears are practically quivering with anticipation."

"Er…right," Brinna said, leading everyone out of the shop.

The suns were lowering when they stepped outside and Brinna decided they'd best leave any expeditions out into the desert until the next day. They were just turning to go back to the ship when a jawa approached them.

"Iziz, I am. Leader of the tribe that is mine. You are the same kind, a leader that stands before your tribe?" the little creature chittered. With some difficulty, Brinna translated his speech, much to Carth's apparent amusement.

"Leader of our tribe. Heh. That's a new one," he said, smiling widely. Brinna made a face at him before turning back to Iziz.

"There are troubles that we have. The giants made of sand, they are horned ghosts that take us away," Iziz told her.

Brinna's head was throbbing slightly and whether this was a lingering effect from the Dark Jedi battle or caused by the ugly scene between Bastila and her mother or the somewhat frightening meanderings of her new, homicidal droid—or a combination of all three—she couldn't say. At any rate, her concentration was shot.

"HK-47, can you help me out here?" she asked.

"Translation: ninety-eight percent probability that members of the miniature organic's tribe are being held by Sand People, master. Doubtless he wishes assistance."


	25. Confrontation and Compromise

When Brinna walked into the common room the next morning, she found Mission, Zaalbar, and Canderous sitting around the table. She caught Mission and Zaalbar exchanging a look and she instantly knew why as she looked at Canderous. The expression in his eyes was menacing and he held his jaw so tightly clenched that he looked as though he could chew through plascrete, if he were so inclined. Brinna stared at him for a full minute but he was apparently so preoccupied that he didn't notice. As she watched his flickering gaze, she knew with certainty that he was mentally playing out the encounter he was anticipating having with Jagi that day.

"He's been like that for an hour now," Mission whispered, sidling up to Brinna as she turned to help herself to a steaming mug of caffa.

Brinna sighed, worried. "He's probably been like that since last night," she murmured to Mission.

The teen's gaze was troubled as she darted a glance up at Brinna. "You'll look out for him, won't you?"

Startled, Brinna looked directly at Mission. She hadn't realized that the Twi'lek and the Mandalorian had become so close. "Of course I will. Don't worry about Canderous, Mission. I'll make sure nothing happens to him."

As if reading Brinna's mind, Mission responded, "He looks out for me and Big Z. And he looks out for you too. He's not such a bad guy—for a Mandalorian."

Brinna smiled. "No, he's not."

"Do you know how obvious it is that you two are talking about me?" Canderous's gravelly voice suddenly interrupted their tête-à-tête.

"What is this encounter with Jagi all about, Canderous?" Brinna asked directly, turning to face him.

"It's a matter of honor," Canderous replied, his lips tightening.

"Care to enlighten me as to exactly what that means?"

"That's between me and Jagi."

With those words, Canderous abruptly rose from his seat and strode from the common room, bumping into Carth on his way out. The Mandalorian continued on as if he hadn't even noticed Carth's existence.

"What's wrong with him?" Carth asked, staring after Canderous's retreating back with an aggrieved look on his face. "He's not his normal charming self."

The sarcasm dripping from the words caused Brinna to sigh. "When are you two going to learn to put your differences aside?"

"When Malak shows up at the Jedi enclave on his knees begging for mercy."

Mission sniggered but Brinna wasn't amused. "Look, Carth, he's tense about his meeting with Jagi, so do you think you could go easy on him? We've got a rather important mission to complete and the last thing I need is you two tearing each other apart."

The look on Carth's face indicated that he'd like nothing more than to do just that to Canderous but he simply nodded by way of reply. Mission turned and walked back to the table and, as she turned her back toward them, Carth met Brinna's eye and gave a significant glance at the teen.

With a rush of guilt so powerful it made her stomach ache, Brinna suddenly understood what it was Carth was trying to convey to her. Overwhelmed by the stress and exhaustion of the previous day, Brinna had forgotten to tell Mission what she had learned of Griff. Her face must have belied something of her emotions for Carth directed a sympathetic gaze her way.

"Go easy on yourself," he said softly, murmuring the words close to her ear as he walked over to her to claim his own mug of caffa.

His nearness and the kind tone of his words caused her to tremble a little but she forced herself to focus on the task before her. Taking a deep breath, she carried her mug over to the table and seated herself across from Mission, reaching out and taking the Twi'lek's hand.

"I have news about your brother," she said, in response to Mission's inquisitive gaze. The teen's face blanched and Brinna grasped her hand more firmly, hastening to add, "It's not what you're thinking but it is serious. He was out on a mining expedition and was taken hostage by Sand People."

Instead of looking relieved that her brother was still alive, Mission's face paled even more. "Griff's been taken prisoner?"  
"Yes, but we're going to find him." As Brinna spoke, Carth seated himself next to her and she found she was grateful for his reassuring presence. "We're going to the Sand People enclave today to try to persuade them to cease their attacks on the Czerka. We'll free Griff while we're there, I promise."

Mission nodded weakly, her hand limp in Brinna's. Zaalbar looked at his friend and made a mournful noise.

"Don't worry, Mission. Brinna saved Dustil. She'll save Griff too," Carth said.

She could hear the conviction in his words and she felt a tingle. He had faith in her. Not only that, when he'd spoken of how Brinna had saved Dustil, his voice had rung with gratitude. The paranoid uneasiness with which he'd once treated her had been replaced by an implicit trust. It was a powerful realization that struck Brinna to her very core. She snuck a glance at him and, almost as if she'd willed it, his eyes met hers for a brief second during which she lost all sense of herself and everything that surrounded her.

"We'd better get going," Brinna said, reluctantly shaking herself back to reality. She gave Mission's hand one last squeeze before heading out toward the equipment bay, Carth following.

When they entered the corridor, she was surprised to feel Carth gently seize her hand. She stopped dead in her tracks, turning to look at him.

"I meant what I said in there," he told her, his voice soft. He'd never before looked at her in the way he did now and it sent a shiver up her spine. "I know you'll find Griff and save him."

"I hope you're right," she told him, her throat suddenly dry.

He smiled. "I am. I think you could do anything you set your mind to."

Brinna could feel heat creeping up her face and neck as she cast about for a reply but, to her relief, she found that one was not necessary. Carth gave her hand a quick, warm squeeze and then continued into the equipment bay.

Canderous was already there, putting his armor on and collecting his pack with a look of grim determination on his face. Brinna wished he would tell her what the deal with Jagi was but she knew better than to push him. The Mandalorian would place his confidence in her when and if he felt like it.

HK-47 was also waiting in the equipment bay. Though she was still wary of him, Brinna had to bring him along to act as a translator with the Sand People. She only hoped that his homicidal urges would be directed toward whatever foes they might come across. It wouldn't exactly be dignified for her to be done in by a shot to the back from her own droid.

As they left the ship, Brinna could feel her Jedi brethren reach out to her and she knew they were all gathered in the common room. She also knew they had been talking about her, though she had no idea what specifically had been the topic of their conversation. Once again, she felt an uncanny sense that someone knew more about her than she knew herself.

She shook the thought aside as they made their way through Anchorhead. Her full concentration would be needed for the tasks before her and she was determined to get things done as quickly as possible. Dark fears had begun to creep into the corners of her mind, though she had shared these with no one. There was a voice in the back of her mind that was growing ever more persistent in its insistence that she would not be able to stop Malak in time. She was doing her best to ignore it but she was finding that she was having less and less success in this endeavor.

The gate guard gave them a minor hassle until Brinna produced her hunting license and then he was quick to let them through with a dire warning. Brinna made a sour face as she stepped through the gate but she said nothing. The suns, which had been unbearably bright within the confines of the city walls, were now blinding. Her eyes momentarily dazzled, Brinna didn't see the woman standing outside until she nearly stumbled over her.

"Hello there," the woman said in a voice that sounded strangely elated. "You're heading out to the desert? You're a hunter, right? You must be if you've been allowed to leave Anchorhead. When you see Tanis, and I know you will, tell him his wife hopes he enjoys the anniversary gift."

Brinna blinked several times until the other woman's face came into focus. Marlena, that was what Tanis had called her back in the hunting lodge. Mrs. Venn would have been a lovely woman had her face not been marred by a twisted expression of bitterness. Brinna felt a combination of sympathy and something like dread.

"Why do you think I would know him?" she asked carefully.

"Don't play dumb. You're just another of his playthings down at that 'hunting' club. I know your type through and through. Well, he can do what he wants. He'll get what he deserves. I bought my own license just so I could see what he did."

Though she bristled at Marlena's calling her Tanis's "plaything", Brinna held her tongue. A shiver ran down her spine at the woman's words and she realized just how thoroughly Tanis had destroyed his wife. "You sound like you're planning to kill him."

"Oh, I'm through planning. I just left him a little mess that he has to take care of. If he's smart, he'll be just fine. But he's not smart." The last sentence was spoken with an almost feline grin of pleasure. Marlena was practically purring at the thought of whatever trap she had laid for her husband.

"I have to go," Brinna said shortly. Marlena disturbed her and she had plenty of her own problems to deal with without having Tanis's rather crazy wife adding to her burdens.

"I'm sure you do. Like I said, when you see him, tell him his wife Marlena says hello," the woman replied. Brinna heard her humming a little tune as she stepped through the gates and into Anchorhead.

"You don't think..." Carth began, exchanging a look with Brinna.

Sighing and closing her eyes, Brinna squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Yes, I do. She seemed just crazy enough to do it."

Carth sighed as well. "I thought we were rid of that guy."

"Yes, well, you can never have too much of a good thing, can you?" Brinna asked with false brightness.

"By the time you two are done yammering, we'll have run out of water," Canderous barked. Carth openly glared at him but Brinna merely sent a mild look his way.

"Let's go," she said, turning and leading her companions away from Anchorhead and into the desert proper.

She had to admit, Canderous did have a point. The heat out on the dunes was more oppressive than any she had ever known. There had never been any reason for her to venture outside of Anchorhead's walls on any of her previous visits and Brinna found herself wishing that she hadn't had to do so on this visit either. Her robes were already clinging damply to her back and the heat and light were so intense that her head was beginning to ache.

"Anyone out there?" a voice with an hysterical edge called out, breaking into her thoughts. "Could you help? I seem to be…ah…doomed."

"Looks like it's our friend Tanis," Carth muttered.

He did, indeed, seem to be doomed. He was standing helplessly with a blaster in his hand, surrounded by four of his battle droids. The droids were twitching in a very threatening way and there was no mistaking the naked panic in the hunter's eyes.

Brinna sighed again and wished for patience. Though she found him completely despicable, she didn't think he deserved to stand around in the desert, waiting to die of thirst—for that was the means of demise his wife had planned for him. It seemed Tanis had never been particularly good with his droids and his wife had been their caretaker. She had used this to her advantage and had reprogrammed the droids to detonate if Tanis stepped outside of their perimeter. HK seemed to find Tanis's predicament very amusing and he was clearly disappointed when Brinna set him to work at disabling Tanis's droids. For his part, the hunter looked a bit uncertain at her choice but refrained from saying anything.

HK worked quickly and within a matter of minutes, all four of the malfunctioning battle droids had been disabled. Tanis's relief was palpable and his triumph at having escaped the fate his wife had constructed for him was obvious.

"Now, my dear lady, I must see to your reward. Will, uh, earthly delights suffice?"

Brinna heard Carth make a menacing noise and, despite his earlier preoccupation, even Canderous let out a low growl at Tanis's words. The reactions of her companions coupled with the daggers Brinna was shooting Tanis's way with her eyes must have made the hunter see the wisdom of reconsidering his offer.

"Er…I suppose not," he said. He told her that he considered his life worth something and pressed a couple of credit chips in her hands before he gleefully strode off across the desert, droids in tow.

"He clearly learned his lesson," Carth said, his voice fairly dripping with disgust.

"Forget him," Brinna said. The day seemed to be growing even hotter, if it was possible, and she was anxious to leave all memory of Tanis Venn far, far behind her.

The sand seemed to shimmer and undulate before Brinna's eyes as she led Carth, Canderous, and HK over the dunes. Just to break up the monotony, every so often a band of Sand People would attack and Brinna quickly developed an appreciation for the fear the creatures inspired in the Czerka. They were not easy opponents. At times they proved surprisingly resistant to the Force and their gaffi sticks were punishing weapons. This coupled with the suddenness and viciousness of their attacks made them a challenge, to say the least.

In addition to the Sand People, they also had to fend off the occasional attacks from the wraids that roamed the desert. Brinna collected the skull plate of each beast with the intension of selling them to Fazza. She wasn't too proud to scrape together whatever could possibly be traded for credits. Their stores would need to be replenished before they left Tatooine and they had fewer credits than Brinna would have liked.

She didn't have long to fret about this, however, for they suddenly found themselves suffering through yet another Sand People ambush. Brinna called on the Force but was only able to put two of the three warriors in stasis. The third one charged straight for her and though she managed to duck the brunt of the blow, the warrior's gaffi stick grazed the right side of her head and set her ears to ringing and her vision to wavering. The heat-induced headache that she'd been fighting off suddenly came roaring to life and the pain was such a distraction that she just barely managed to duck the warrior's next blow.

"Exclamation: I'll see pieces of you spread all over these dunes, meatbag!" a mechanical voice called. Brinna looked up to see HK bearing down, blasters blazing, on the warrior that had attacked her and, for once, she was grateful for his homicidal tendencies.

Brinna dropped to the ground and rolled as HK fired. His first shot was off the mark but the second hit the warrior in his gaffi arm and the creature gave an inhuman roar as his weapon fell from his useless limb. Leaping to her feet, Brinna swung her lightsabers in a wide arc, silencing the warrior forever.

"You all right?" Carth asked, panting as he approached. His blades were covered with gore and she knew that he would have finished off the warrior HK had hit if she hadn't gotten to him first.

"Yeah. I'm okay," she responded, gritting her teeth against the pounding pain in her head. She mopped her dripping forehead with the sleeve of her robe, took a deep breath, and focused on using the Force to heal her and her companions' wounds. The headache receded a bit but it still felt as though one of the Sand People was inside her skull, banging repeatedly on her brain.

Something of the pain she felt must have shown on her face because Carth thrust a canteen at her. "Drink this," he said. "You're probably becoming dehydrated."

She took the water from him and drank. When she was done, she felt a little better and she took the opportunity to pause for a moment and catch her breath. Shielding her eyes, she squinted against the merciless light of the suns and caught sight of a very bulky object some distance from them. "What is that?" she asked.

Carth looked over in the direction toward which she was gazing, squinting his own eyes. "It looks like a sandcrawler," he said.

"Maybe they'll have some more information about these attacks and about Griff."

"Then what are we standing around here for?" Canderous's harsh voice interjected. The sound of it startled Brinna and she turned to see that he was standing a short distance behind her, cleaning his own blades of gore.

Without a word, she took off in the direction of the sandcrawler. She could hear HK's gears whirring as he followed and she overheard him complaining about the sand interfering with his functions but paid him no heed. She was too busy keeping a sharp eye on the dunes, watching out for more Sand People.

Unfortunately, the miners didn't have much leisure for talk. They were barely able to tell Brinna that they'd been ambushed before it happened once again. Wave after wave after wave of Sand People sprang seemingly from nowhere and attacked Brinna's party and the miners. The searing heat and the strain of battle combined forced Brinna into something like a primal survival mode. Her world was soon nothing more than blinding light, deafening cries and blaster fire, and a flash of pain every now and then as a gaffi stick hit its mark. When the battle was finally over, she found herself breathing in shallow gasps, nearly choking as the dry desert air filled her lungs.

The miners thanked Brinna and her companions for their help and passed along a useful bit of information: the Sand People had set up a perimeter around their enclave, protecting it with blaster turrets. Deciding to abandon their sandcrawler to a fate as a salvage heap for the Jawas, the Czerka employees set off for Anchorhead.

"Looks like we're definitely going to have to disguise ourselves," Carth said as he casually handed her his canteen once again.

It was almost uncanny how he knew what she needed without her even having to tell him and she found that she was more grateful for his presence than ever. The more time passed, the more she learned that there was nothing more reassuring than going into battle with Carth Onasi at her side. He always had her back but, just as importantly, he looked out for her mental well-being just as carefully as he looked after her physical well-being.

"Admit it, flyboy. You're just anxious to try on the latest in Sand People fashion," she said, unable to resist teasing him.

His smile was amused but she could see the relief in his eyes. He must have been more worried about her than she'd initially thought. "As the most handsome pilot in the galaxy, I can only enhance whatever I wear," he told her, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Ugh, spare me," Brinna said, rolling her own eyes. She thrust the canteen into Carth's chest. "I just hope they'll fit over that giant head of yours."

Carth opened his mouth but took one look at Canderous and closed it again. Brinna glanced over and saw that their Mandalorian companion was something less than amused. She decided they'd best leave off the banter for the time being.

"Let's go take a look at that refuse pile over there," Brinna said, pointing.

Canderous was off instantly and Brinna actually found herself hoping that they'd run into Jagi soon. They wouldn't have a moment's peace until Canderous was able to face his old friend.

The refuse pile turned out to be a very crude booby trap set up by the oh-so-pleasant Gamorrean hunters with whom Brinna had spoken in Fazza's lodge. HK was fairly crackling with glee as he fired his blasters at the treacherous creatures. It wasn't long before the Gamorreans understood that they were in over their head this time.

"Gamorreans," Carth said, disgust evident in his voice.

"Yes, well, I know they're your favorite and all but can you give me a hand here? There might be something useful in one of these piles," Brinna said, picking through the closest one at hand.

"Scavenger," Carth said to her. She glanced over at him and saw that he was smiling teasingly at her.

"Beggars can't be choosers, can they? Or do you have some secret stash of credits I don't know about, flyboy?"

"I believe your Twi'lek friend relieved me of them all," he grumbled.

"Then start scavenging, would you?"

They worked for a few moments, taking whatever parts they felt would prove useful before they moved on. Brinna led them behind the sandcrawler and just as she was turning to Canderous to tell him that it looked like his friend had opted not to show for their encounter, Jagi suddenly appeared, a couple of Rodian thugs in tow.

"Ah so you managed to come after all," he called out to Canderous, a smug, mocking smile on his face. Brinna tightened her grip on her sabers and Carth must have moved as well for Jagi suddenly took notice of them, adding, "I see you brought friends."

"You brought some of your own as well," Canderous said evenly. In spite of the casual tone of his voice, Brinna knew him well enough by now to know that he was seething. Every line of his body was tense and he had a death grip on his blades.

"Ha! Indeed I did. I foresaw that you might need help so I arranged a distraction."

"I came by my own will," Brinna informed him, a muscle in her jaw working. She still didn't know quite what to make of the situation but she was anxious to do whatever she could to prevent an all-out blood bath. She could feel sweat beading on her forehead.

"I do not need to hear your excuses, Jedi!" Jagi said, spitting the title out contemptuously. "I know why he brought you!"

"Enough of this talk, Jagi. Let us do what we came here to do."

"I think you both need to calm down," Brinna interjected in a forceful tone. She couldn't help but wonder if she was just plain crazy. If looks could kill, both Canderous and Jagi would have been long gone by now. Did she honestly think either Mandalorian would listen to her, now that they had got their blood up?

"We both know the stakes here, and we both know what we must do," Jagi said, ignoring Brinna. "It is only in death that this can end."

"This is a matter of honor. I cannot stand by this insult. I must do this," Canderous told Brinna.

"Why do you need to fight him, Canderous?" Brinna asked, exasperated. She hoped that the Mandalorian might give her a straight answer, for once.

"He has slandered me and questioned my honor. Among the Mandalore, many have died for much lesser insults!"

Brinna wanted to scream. She was well aware of the importance of honor amongst the Mandalorians but she would have liked nothing more than to take both men and shake some sense into them. Could honor really be important enough to justify the senseless shedding of blood?


	26. Truces and Protection

Brinna was annoyed from the moment she stepped out of her bunk the next morning. She had tossed and turned all night long, her mind refusing to allow her any respite from jumbled thoughts of her feelings for Carth, her continuing surprise over Bastila's encounter with her mother, her concern for Canderous, and her worry over the poor reunion she had witnessed between Mission and Griff. Finally, after mulling everything over for hours, she had decided to do what she could to get past Canderous's reticence to speak of his encounter with Jagi, prod Bastila toward returning the holocron to her mother, and pay a little visit to Griff in the Czerka office in the hopes that she might be able to do something for Mission. As for her feelings for Carth, she chose to gloss over the fact that she had not yet decided what to do.

She decided that the first order of business that day would be to seek out Griff. Listening to him speak to her about his "business" proposal was about the last thing in the galaxy she wanted to do but if it might help her somehow reconcile Griff and Mission, she would do it. Brinna had come to love Mission like a sister and there was nothing she wouldn't do for the Twi'lek. It was obvious to her that Mission still loved her brother and so Brinna felt that no sacrifice on her part would be too great if it would mean getting Griff out of trouble and back in Mission's life.

After the visit with Griff, it would be time to head for the krayt dragon's cave. Because of this, she had chosen to take Bastila along with her and Carth. She was reluctant to proceed without Canderous's muscle but it didn't seem right to deny Bastila the chance to recover the holocron on her own. Brinna knew how much it meant to the other Jedi and she didn't need their bond to sense it. Besides that, it might be best to leave Canderous to brood for a while yet. A distracted comrade would not be much help in a battle against a beast as formidable as the krayt dragon had a reputation for being.

The common room was deserted and Brinna lingered in there only long enough to grab a quick breakfast before she headed for the cockpit in search of Carth. She could sense Bastila's presence in there as well. She sensed that the other Jedi were in the sick bay but she had no idea where any of the other crew members were. The ship was very quiet and Brinna felt that the stresses of the previous weeks coupled with the troubling encounters that everyone had had lately had dealt a pretty serious blow to morale.

_We need to get this thing done as quickly as possible,_ she thought grimly. This quest was becoming more and more personal for her. Saving the galaxy was certainly a noble and lofty goal and Brinna was not taking lightly the fact that millions of lives could be at stake. However, they were faceless millions. It was the struggles of her crewmates that put a personal face on her mission and she had grown determined to see it through to a successful completion—not just to stop Malak, but also to try to restore harmony to the lives of her crew.

"Good morning," Bastila greeted Brinna the moment she crossed the threshold.

Carth shook his head as he turned toward Brinna. "If I'd had a handy bond like that with my troops, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble." The words were light enough but Brinna could sense an undercurrent in them that told her Carth would not be pleased if anyone could keep as close tabs on him as Bastila and Brinna could keep on one another. Brinna couldn't blame him for it. She rather wished it wasn't possible for her either.

"Do not wish for things that might prove more a curse than a gift," Bastila said.

"Gee, thanks a lot," Brinna said sarcastically. She didn't know why but the words stung much more than she would have imagined.

Instantly, she could feel a strange mixture of regret and something else coming from Bastila. What the other emotion was, Brinna couldn't say and it was gone before she could really attempt to probe it further.

"I meant you no offense," Bastila said quietly. "I merely meant that it is not necessarily a good thing to be so closely bound to another. It tends to rob one of one's privacy."

"It's okay," Brinna sighed. She was still smarting but she agreed with what Bastila had said. How many times had she herself wished to regain her privacy, to be free of the bond that she and Bastila shared?

"On our way through Anchorhead, I want to stop and talk to Griff. I can only imagine what sort of proposition he has for me but I can't leave here without trying to do what I can to reconcile him with Mission," Brinna continued, rolling her eyes. She had decided to let sleeping kath hounds lie with regard to Bastila. Now was not the time to get into any sort of discussion about their bond and its many irksome qualities.

"I think that's a good idea," Carth said, smiling at Brinna. She felt a bit weak in the knees.

"Very well," Bastila responded, nodding curtly. Her lips were compressed in a thin line but Brinna knew that it was not because she disagreed with Brinna's proposal. The dread Bastila was feeling was nearly rolling off her in waves and Brinna felt suddenly very guilty for prolonging the suspense for the other Jedi.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, she could feel Bastila reaching out to her via their bond. Bastila felt that Brinna was doing the right thing by seeking out Griff on Mission's behalf and she felt no resentment toward Brinna for postponing their trip to the krayt dragon caves because of it. The krayt dragon would be waiting and dangerous no matter when they headed for its lair. Brinna smiled slightly and nodded at her Jedi companion.

Their progress through Anchorhead was quick and the woman in the Czerka office was quite pleased with the gaffi sticks Brinna turned over to her. Brinna felt slightly queasy at the look on the woman's face as she accepted the chieftain's gaffi. While the Sand People were not exactly Brinna's favorite creatures in the galaxy, it disturbed her to think that the Czerka would endorse the wholesale annihilation of a Sand People village without trying to find any sort of diplomatic solution to the problem. But, then, considering what she'd seen on Kashyyyk, this attitude should hardly have surprised her. She was just grateful she'd decided to listen to the ranting Duros and had taken HK along rather than slicing her way through the village with her sabers. The cavalier attitude of Czerka with regard to the lives of other creatures was enough to do away with whatever small twinge of guilt Brinna might have otherwise felt over her deception.

Griff was standing back near Greeda, the Rodian who had sold the moisture vaporators to Brinna and he looked positively gleeful at the sight of her. She did her best to resist the temptation to put a protective hand over the pouch holding her credits. The fact that Griff walked over to them rather than oozing was rather amazing, considering how thoroughly coated in slime Brinna thought he was.

It turned out that Griff wanted Brinna to obtain some tach glands for him to help him buy into a crazy Tarisian ale brewing scheme he had pitched to a member of the Exchange. Alarm bells went off the second Griff mentioned the Exchange and just when she had begun to think that he couldn't possibly surprise her any more with the depths of his stupidity, he proved her wrong. She had picked up a few tach glands on Kashyyyk, absently tucking them in her pack without really knowing why. As she handed them over to Griff, she found herself fervently hoping that his scheme would come to fruition rather than failing spectacularly and resulting in his having a price put on his head by the Exchange.

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn't going to end well?" Carth asked as they watched Griff hurry out of the Czerka office.

"I have enough of my own pessimism without adding yours to it," Brinna told him wryly.

"Poor Mission," he replied.

_Poor Mission indeed…_

Brinna and her companions talked little as they made their way to the krayt dragon's cave. She was preoccupied with her worries about Mission. A tiny part of her hoped that Griff really was going to clean up his act but the much bigger, more cynical part of her knew the chances of that were practically nil.

In spite of her own preoccupation, Brinna could sense that Bastila was equally preoccupied. The icy Jedi was keeping a firm reign on her thoughts, as usual, but Brinna could feel Bastila's turmoil. She still could not get over her amazement at the emotions that Bastila's encounter with her mother had provoked.

_Really, though, couldn't you tell that it was all there, just lurking under the surface? You've seen people who repress like that before. You know what happens to them in the end._

A grim expression crossed Brinna's face. She would not think of her mother now. She had more than enough troubles to occupy her. Instead, she found herself casting a quick glance at Carth in the hopes that the sight of his face would bring her some peace. However, she could see that he looked rather preoccupied as well and, as much as she would have liked to ask him what was on his mind, she decided that it would keep for the time being. After all, she'd much rather speak privately with him, without Bastila around.

The merciless suns of Tatooine beat down on them and Brinna was soaked with sweat by the time she finally spotted Komad Fortuna standing off in the distance, a massive cave behind him. She would not miss this planet once they were through with it. In fact, she might never return here again, business be damned. If she ever again had to experience the sensation of sand wedging itself into seemingly every crevice of her body, she would definitely lose it.

Komad had a friend with him who was rather impatient. Brinna had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched the fool rush off toward the cave, only to emit a bone-chilling scream as the krayt dragon made a snack of him. The sick feeling only increased when she witnessed Komad's dispassionate reaction. He seemed more concerned about convincing her of the noble nature of the hunt and the role she would need to play in it than he was about his companion's death.

She was instantly suspicious when he requested that she lure the bantha over to the cave to be used as bait, and with good reason. It turned out that Komad was afraid of the Sand People attacking him for daring to try to put their sacred beasts in harm's way. Rolling her eyes, Brinna agreed that she and her companions would lure the bantha over to the cave.

_Can't anyone do their own dirty work anymore?_ she wondered in exasperation as she carefully made her way toward the enormous, shaggy beasts, holding bantha fodder out in what she hoped was an enticing manner.

Sure enough, as soon as the bantha began to follow Brinna and her companions, several angry Sand People came swarming toward them, tossing grenades and emitting their weird brand of squeals and screams. Brinna had heard more than enough of Sand People talk in the enclave and she was anxious to get the holocron, see the Star Map, and get the hell off Tatooine. Fortunately, the battle with the Sand People didn't last long and she, Carth, and Bastila led the bantha over to the cave without further incident.

_This mission is starting to wear on you,_ she thought wearily. _It'll be a miracle if you make it through this thing alive and relatively unscathed._

There was no time for such thoughts and she resolutely pushed them aside as she watched the krayt dragon lumbering to its death. She couldn't hold back the moue of distaste provoked by watching the thing get blown to bits by Komad's mines. Komad seemed to feel more remorse at the somewhat underhanded way he'd gone about killing the krayt dragon than he had over the demise of his friend. He handed Brinna one of the dragon's pearls as recompense for her help and then departed on his speeder.

"Well, that was disgusting," Brinna said as she headed toward the cave, carefully picking her way around the bits and pieces of krayt dragon that were strewn over the desert floor. The bantha were standing around munching on the fodder, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they had just barely escaped with their lives.

"Nothing like the scent of charred krayt dragon pieces mingling with bantha funk," Carth remarked, making a face.

"This whole planet stinks," Brinna grumbled. Then, because she couldn't resist needling Carth a bit, "But at least it's not boring like Dantooine." Carth made a face at her and she smiled, feeling something of her crankiness slip away.

Brinna could see the Star Map at the back of the cave but she disregarded it for the moment, intent on examining the various and assorted remains in the cave. She wanted to find that holocron as soon as possible and she could sense that Bastila had the same intent. Carth seemed to sense it too for, without anyone saying a word, he promptly began searching through the remains.

It was only fitting that Bastila was the one to find the holocron. Brinna could sense the tumult of Bastila's emotions the moment the other Jedi picked the holocron up and she turned to see Bastila cradling the device in both hands, staring at it but not seeming to see it, judging from the far-off look in her eyes. Glancing over at Carth, she exchanged a quick look with him before she tentatively made her way over to Bastila, Carth remaining where he was standing.

The deep sorrow coming from Bastila sent a wave of pain through Brinna as well. She could sense that Bastila was replaying memory after memory of her childhood and the other Jedi's guard had been lowered enough that Brinna caught a few of the images as well. From what she could see, Bastila's father had been a vibrant, laughing man who had clearly adored his daughter.

After leaving Bastila to her thoughts for a few minutes, Brinna gently broached the subject of Helena. "Are you going to give the holocron to her?"

"Do you think I should?" Bastila asked, turning to look at Brinna with an earnest expression in her eyes.

Brinna was so taken aback that she found herself gaping at Bastila. From the moment she had met Bastila, the other Jedi had spent practically every minute questioning Brinna's judgment and preaching to her about the Force and the dark side and Brinna's responsibilities to the Order. To have Bastila suddenly asking her for her advice was almost more of a shock than Brinna could handle.

"You might want to consider it," Brinna said, still feeling shell-shocked but able to order her thoughts somewhat. She had thought long and hard about Bastila's confrontation with her mother and she strongly felt that Bastila would never find peace until she had at least attempted to talk things through with Helena.

Bastila was silent for a moment and Brinna could sense that she was deep in thought. Then she pressed her lips into a firm line and regained her icy demeanor, closing her thoughts off to Brinna once more.

"That would just lead into another argument," Bastila said. "I should…try and remember my training. I should be able to let go of this, but I can't. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's…keep going."

Once again, Brinna felt as though Bastila had lobbed a grenade at her. As if it wasn't enough of a shock to watch Bastila actually manifest some sort of emotion, she was now witnessing Bastila expressing self-doubt. Bastila, who had always been confident to the point of pompousness.

Carth's voice suddenly penetrated her thoughts and she turned to look at him. "Anyone else get the feeling that finding this Star Map in the back of this krayt dragon's cave is more than just a coincidence?" he asked. It was an unnecessary question, really, but his gaze met hers as he finished speaking and she realized that he'd asked it simply to break the daze Brinna had fallen into. She sent him a grateful look, which he acknowledged with a slight smile and a nod.

"The Star Map is an artifact of the dark side," Bastila began, apparently not catching that Carth had not really been seeking a response to his idle comment. "The krayt dragon may have been drawn here by its dark power, only to be enslaved by it."

Brinna walked closer to the map and watched as it slowly unfolded. Her eyes moved carefully over the chart of the galaxy and she took out her datapad so that she could fill in more of the blanks left by the other Star Maps. It took a few minutes and when she finished, she looked up to see that Carth was studying her. She could have sworn that he colored slightly but it may have been her imagination.

"We should probably get going now," he said. "We've found the Star Map and I'm guessing there isn't much else worth seeing on this planet."

"I'm guessing you're right," Brinna responded.

She tucked her datapad back in her pack and turned toward the mouth of the cave once more. She took a step forward but suddenly stopped. There was a disturbance in the Force and as she glanced over at Bastila, she could see that the other Jedi had felt it as well. "We have company," Brinna quietly told Carth. "Dark Jedi company."

Immediately, she heard the sound of him unsheathing his blades. She and Bastila refrained from activating their lightsabers but they each held their hands at their belts as they walked slowly but steadily toward the mouth of the cave, Brinna in the lead.

The second she caught a clear view of the face of the one unswathed Jedi, Brinna recognized it. For a few seconds, she was back on the Endar Spire, listening to the concussions as the Sith tried to blow it into oblivion. She watched as the man claiming to be her bunkmate rushed headlong into the corridor with the dark Jedi. The door sealed behind him, sparing Brinna and allowing her to continue on toward the escape pods and a Republic star pilot named Carth Onasi…

"At last, my search is over!" the dark Jedi exulted as Brinna and her companions halted before him. "I was beginning to fear someone else had killed you and deprived me of the pleasure. You may have defeated the pathetic bounty hunter my Master sent after you, but you are no match for me! I have studied at the foot of the Dark Lord himself!"

Brinna felt nothing but contempt and she was sure the dark Jedi could sense it, for there was an almost feral gleam in his eyes as he looked at her. The insidious whispers began once again, teasing her, tempting her to just surrender, to simply claim the power that was hers…

"You're Malak's apprentice? Can't say I'm impressed," Brinna said, trying to sound as casual as possible. Inside, a war was raging and she could not prevent the cold sweat that suddenly coated her from head to toe.

"Your words mean nothing to me…unless you wish to beg me for your life. No? Then I shall try to make this both quick and painful!" the dark Jedi sneered.

Through their bond, Brinna and Bastila could each sense the other's intent, so as Brinna called on the Force to attempt to put Darth Bandon and his minions in stasis, Bastila lunged to strike out against one of the apprentices. At the same second, Bandon used his own Force abilities. Brinna proved impervious to his attempt but Carth and Bastila were not so lucky. They each clutched their heads, crying out in pain. Fortunately, the two apprentices had been unable to resist Brinna's Force abilities, though Bandon had successfully resisted.

As Brinna activated her lightsabers and brought them up into an attack position, she saw the look of surprise that crossed Bandon's face. His dark presence was strong and she knew that he was surprised because she had resisted him. In spite of her taunting words, Brinna knew that Bandon was powerful and she was not about to underestimate him. She felt the Force flow through her once more, increasing the speed of her movements, and then she struck.

There was a clash and a hiss of sparks as Brinna's sabers connected with Bandon's. The fight became one of pure instinct, Brinna reacting without really thinking. She had approached this sort of oneness with the Force in the past but never quite to this extent. Though the connection allowed her to move with a fluid, seemingly effortless grace, the mental toll on her was great.

The more she used the Force, the more the dark side had to attempt to latch onto and fighting off the urge to succumb was exhausting. Their stay on Dantooine had been too brief for her to fully recover from her ordeal on Korriban and she knew she was coming dangerously close to overexerting herself but she had done her best to hide this from the others.

Jolee and Juhani must have sensed Bandon's presence for she could suddenly feel them reaching out to her via the Force. Their presence was comforting but she feared that they would be able to sense her growing fatigue and she did not allow herself to connect with them. It was difficult enough doing what she could to keep Bastila at bay.

Bandon was looking decidedly worse for the wear by the time his Force-inflicted torture on Bastila and Carth had worn off. The dark Jedi apprentices suddenly regained the ability to move at just about the same moment and they promptly attacked Bastila and Carth. Brinna would have liked their help but she steeled herself, ignoring her mental and physical fatigue, and parried Bandon's strikes. Suddenly, she saw a vulnerability and with nearly blinding speed, she seized her opportunity and took him down. Bastila and Carth had just finished with the apprentices they had been fighting and had turned to help Brinna. As Brinna bent over, resting her hands on her knees in an attempt to catch her breath, she could feel Bastila probing at her and could sense something like concern coming from the younger Jedi.

_Give me a minute,_ Brinna curtly told Bastila. She could feel Bastila's reluctance as she withdrew, but Brinna was too grateful for the sudden moment's peace to think much of it. She could feel the cooling sensation of the Force healing wounds she hadn't even realized she had.

"Thanks," she panted, speaking aloud as she turned to look at Bastila.

The other Jedi nodded shortly, her eyes practically boring into Brinna's head. Brinna kept her expression carefully blank. She could see a flicker of something in Bastila's eyes and she knew Bastila was contemplating the wisdom of attempting another connection via their bond but, to Brinna's relief, Bastila decided against it.

As her breathing finally began to slow to a more normal pace, Brinna stood upright once again and noticed that Carth was studying her with a concerned expression. She gave him a weary smile, hoping to reassure him, but his lips curved down in a slight frown. His concern was touching and Brinna felt something stir inside of her. The expression on her face must have changed for Carth suddenly returned her smile with a slight one of his own. His eyes lingered on her for another few seconds before he turned and began picking through the belongings of their fallen foes.

Brinna was lost in her own thoughts as they made their way back to Anchorhead. There were still some loose ends to tie up but, mentally, Brinna was already on Manaan, searching desperately for the next Star Map.

_I just want this to all be over with, all of it. _She suddenly felt as if she were a hundred years old. A strange sensation filled her head, almost as if it were buzzing and she told herself that she'd better rehydrate as soon as they returned to the Ebon Hawk. She must have spent far too much time out under the merciless desert suns.

Helena visibly started when Bastila and her companions entered the cantina. She quickly covered the expression with a cool one, asking sardonically, "Back already? Have you even looked for the holocron yet?"

"I have the holocron, Mother," Bastila replied shortly and Brinna could feel the young Jedi's temper flaring. "I'm just not sure I want to give it to you."

Brinna's mouth fell open and she looked at Bastila in disbelief. Could this really be the same Jedi princess who had always been so eager to project an image of utter perfection? Bastila had always seemed so concerned about what the Masters would think that Brinna could hardly believe that she was acting the way she was with her mother. Shouldn't Bastila have been perishing at the thought of what the Masters would make of her current behavior?

Mother and daughter began quarreling. Brinna was far too weary to follow the argument, though it was obvious that Bastila and Helena were basically claiming that their behavior and intentions were the exact opposites of whatever the other claimed them to be. It began to feel as though someone was beating on the inside of her head with a blaster and Brinna felt her patience grow thin.

"Maybe one of you should be the first to give the other a break?" she said, butting into the conversation.

Helena and Bastila halted, both of them turning to look at her. For a second, Brinna thought neither of them would relent and then Bastila sighed, pressing her mouth into an even tighter line.

"You're right," she told Brinna, sounding as if the words were choking her. "It shames me, but I just…I find it difficult to…let go of the past. I'm…sorry, Mother."

Brinna could feel herself soften a bit as Bastila stumbled over her words. Bastila was not the only one who had trouble letting go of the past and Brinna felt a sudden rush of sympathy for the other Jedi. It suddenly occurred to Brinna just how young Bastila was and just how much responsibility had been heaped onto her slender shoulders. Bastila was insufferable at times, but perhaps Brinna had not been entirely fair in her judgment of Bastila.

"I was hard on you, dear," Helena replied, sounding remorseful. "I wasn't a very good mother to you, I know that. Your father loved you so. He wanted you to be just like him…he wanted to take you on his hunts, but I said they were too dangerous. I always tried to keep him from the dangerous ones, but he would have none of it. It was a reckless life we led, always moving… I didn't want that for you."

"So that's why you gave me to the Order?" Bastila asked. Brinna could feel Bastila struggling with her growing wish for understanding and acceptance. Without thinking, Brinna put a reassuring hand on the other Jedi's shoulder. There would be no serenity for Bastila—no matter what the Jedi Code might have to say about it—unless she did what she could to reconcile herself with her mother.

"What do your father and I have to show for all those years of hunting? Nothing. That was no life for anyone, especially not someone as gifted as you. Your father…he spent all his last years trying to pay for my treatments. That's why he went for the pearls. I begged him not to, but…"

"Your treatments?" Bastila interrupted, looking somewhat stricken.

"I'm dying, Bastila," Helena replied, acceptance and resignation plain in her voice. "I did not lie about that. It's been a long time in the coming, and there's really nothing that can be done anymore. I told your father to let me go, but you know how he was. Stubborn. Like you."

"I'm so sorry, Mother. I don't know what to say." Brinna tightened her grip slightly as she felt the dizzying wave of sadness and regret that washed over Bastila.

Bastila and her mother talked for another few moments. Brinna could see the remorse Helena felt over the wasted years and when she asked, Brinna did not hesitate to promise Helena that she would do her best to take care of Bastila.

There was a gleam of tears in Bastila's eyes as she gave her mother 500 credits and implored her to head to Coruscant for further treatment. She told Helena that once their mission was over, they could meet and talk. Brinna couldn't help but think of her own mother, tears rising in her own eyes over the bitterness that had characterized their last moments together. She fervently hoped that Helena and Bastila would be able to lay their differences aside and reconcile before Helena passed away. The last thing Brinna wanted was to see Bastila end up like she had, living every day with the regret of not having made peace with someone who was now out of reach. Brinna's hand strayed up to her necklace.

"So do you feel better now?" Brinna gently asked Bastila as they left the cantina.

There was a far away expression in Bastila's eyes but Brinna could also sense her relief. "Yes. That brought me a lot of peace. More than I thought it would have. Thank you for urging me towards it. After all my training, I would have thought it would have been easier. Apparently I still have much to learn."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Bastila," Brinna said kindly.

Bastila nodded and Brinna left her to her own thoughts. She looked over to her right and caught Carth's glance. He looked a little astonished and Brinna shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile. Her heart lifted as he smiled in return and she thought she saw something like pride in his expression. It made her blush and she turned her gaze from his somewhat bashfully.

"If you don't mind, there are some things in the droid shop I'd like to take a look at," Carth said.

"Go ahead. We'll wait for you here," Brinna said. She could sense that there was something on Bastila's mind, something that Bastila would prefer to speak with her about once they were alone.

"You look like you have something to say," Brinna told Bastila as soon as Carth disappeared into the shop.

"I do. I have been trying to come up with the best way to say this for some time, but I suppose I should just come out and say it. The truth is, I have come to depend on you. Not just for the sake of the mission, but for my own sake as well. I am…I am glad you are with us."

Taken aback, Brinna spoke before she thought. "Is that a compliment? From you?"

Bastila was clearly offended. "Well, yes. Surely that is not so surprising."

"You're kidding, right?" Brinna asked, looking at Bastila incredulously.

"No, I'm not. Why must you make this so difficult for me? Can't you just accept a simple compliment?"

_Ah, there's the Bastila I know so well, _Brinna thought, striving for patience.

"Maybe I was just distracted by the grudging manner in which it was given," she told Bastila, a slight edge to her voice.

"I see. Is there nothing I can do to make it up to you? I would rather we were friends."

She sounded sincere enough and Brinna found that she was suddenly tired of holding a grudge against Bastila. She would have liked to have been friends with the younger woman right from the start, but Bastila had always seemed to hold her at arm's length. Wasn't it rather petty of her to reject that offer of friendship now? Really, she should be bigger than that.

"I'd like that, I suppose," she replied after a moment's pause.

"I know my manner can be a bit taciturn. I know you must be getting sick of my lectures about the dark side and…and everything else."

With a sigh, Bastila elaborated, "I spent all my years being hounded by my instructors. Being told so often how gifted and important I was until I was sick of it. I remember when I was younger I used to swear that I would never become as self-absorbed and stodgy as the Jedi Masters. It's ironic, really."

"Maybe, but you don't need to be like that," Brinna told her. She felt a slight twinge of guilt. Maybe she was being a little hard on Bastila but, then, it was time for her to be honest with the other Jedi. Brinna felt that what she was saying needed to be said, as much for Bastila's benefit as for Brinna's own gratification.

"I suppose not. But I am becoming like that, though it's not easy for me to admit. Being controlled has kept everyone around me at arm's length; even those like yourself who are most in need of my understanding and compassion. But maybe it's time to change that. You deserve to know how much I respect and admire you. I thought…I just thought I should tell you."

Brinna had never been so floored in all her life. This was the last thing she had been expecting. "I'm glad you did," she somehow managed to say, still too stunned to come up with anything more or better than that.

"Well, that was not nearly so difficult as I feared," Bastila said, sounding suddenly upbeat. "Thank you for hearing me out. I feel…I feel much better. But enough soul searching for now."

Bastila turned and made a pretense of examining some activity going on off in the distance. Brinna didn't mind the brush-off, though. She knew it had been difficult for Bastila to open up as she had and Brinna was left feeling glad that the younger Jedi had finally decided to participate in a conversation with her that had nothing to do with the evils of the dark side or the dire consequences of refusing to abide by the Jedi Code.

Carth exited the shop and gave Brinna a questioning look. She smiled and gave him a slight nod and he smiled in return. She couldn't help but notice how good the expression looked on him. His eyes crinkled appealingly at the corners and though he was certainly not old, the smile made him appear youthful.

"It went well, huh?" Carth quietly asked Brinna as they headed toward the hunting lodge, where Brinna planned to sell the wraid plates they'd collected. Bastila was walking just ahead of them, apparently deep in thought.

"You did that on purpose?" Brinna asked, looking at him in surprise.

He shrugged and grinned a bit sheepishly. "I thought you two could use a little time alone."

"Carth Onasi, you're more of a meddler than I would have imagined," Brinna scolded, but there was no heat in her words. She smiled at him. "Yes, it did go well."

"Good," he said, sounding satisfied. "I know Bastila can be a handful but her heart is in the right place."

"Yes, it is," Brinna said thoughtfully. She glanced at Bastila and noted the determined set of the younger woman's shoulders. It really couldn't have been easy for Bastila to grow up with everyone constantly fawning over her, reminding her of her special talents. The pressure to succeed must have been enormous.

"I just hope that she really has turned a new leaf," Brinna continued. "She's intelligent and talented but that's not going to carry her very far if she continues to be so abrasive."

"We can't all have your disarming charm," he told her lightly.

A blush stole over her cheeks and she found that she had to avert her eyes. Damn but the man had made it a habit to pay her underhanded compliments. For as self-assured as she could be, Brinna never quite knew exactly how to react to them.

Fortunately for her, they arrived at the hunting lodge and she was spared the necessity of coming up with a response to Carth's comment. Fazza paid her quite well for the plates and she tucked the credits away with a sense of relief. At least credits were one thing about which she no longer needed to worry.

The others were scattered about the ship when Brinna and her companions returned but they soon all gathered in the common room, asking question after question. The pearl was passed around for all to examine and admire and Brinna found herself looking at it through narrowed eyes, wondering if just maybe it might work in her lightsaber…

She suddenly became conscious of a rather weighty gaze upon her. Turning her head, she saw that Jolee was studying her. Suddenly, she knew that she had not managed to fully block him during her battle with Bandon. He must have sensed something within her for he was studying her gravely, his gaze unwavering as he met hers. She thought she could see something like concern in his eyes and she tentatively attempted to reach out to him via the Force but he was having none of it. Brinna looked at him questioningly but he made a slight gesture that told her he was not prepared to discuss things with her. She felt slightly hurt but she gathered her dignity about her, nodded at him in what she hoped was an accepting manner, and returned her attention to the conversation of the others. It seemed no one had noticed the exchange between Brinna and Jolee, for several voices were speaking at once and no one was looking her way.

The evening passed pleasantly enough. Once the others were satisfied that they'd heard everything there was to hear, Brinna had excused herself to go spend some time scrubbing away the day's accumulation of sand, sweat, and other matter about which she preferred not to think. As she removed her Jedi robes, she caught the distinct odor of bantha fodder and it made her wrinkle her nose.

_No way am I getting back in those before they're laundered._

When she was finished, she dressed in the pants and sleeveless shirt that she'd often favored during her scouting missions. The clothes felt strange on her back and she was surprised to realize just how quickly she'd come to identify herself as a Jedi.

_Soon I'll be wearing robes nonstop and doling out nonsensical Jedi 'wisdom' in my sleep,_ she thought rather wryly.

Brinna could sense that Bastila was meditating but as soon as Bastila became aware that Brinna was moving out into the ship proper, she stopped and waited. It was no longer necessary to try to decide where to go. Brinna immediately headed for the women's bunks. She knew that Bastila was the only one in there.

"You're curious about something?" Brinna asked as soon as she stepped through the door.

"Am I so transparent? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, considering our bond," Bastila replied. "Yes, there is something I would like to ask, if you'll permit it."

Curious to hear what Bastila had to ask, Brinna leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. "Go ahead."

"In our time together I've been watching you."

_Big surprise there,_ Brinna thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"You are a true servant of the light," Bastila continued, "you follow the tenants of the Jedi Order despite the lure of the dark side. And with so little training. For me it has always been a constant battle. Don't you find it difficult at all? You make it seem so easy. Or is that only an illusion?"

_If you only knew…_ There was a part of her that would have liked to be completely honest with Bastila, to share her burden with someone else but she refused. This was her struggle and hers alone. What good would it do to worry the others by letting them know just how much this experience was wearing her down?

"It's a struggle for me, sometimes," Brinna said mildly.

"That's a relief to hear," Bastila said and the relief was evident in her voice.

_Does she really think that this all comes easily to me?_ Brinna wondered, surprised.

_Don't be ridiculous. She's just so used to things coming easily to her that she worries about this being a struggle for her. She's afraid that it means she's not as gifted or talented as everyone is constantly telling her she is. Can't you see that she's just as afraid of failure as you are?_

"I have never found the Jedi path an easy one to walk and it's good to know I'm not alone," Bastila was saying, interrupting the train of Brinna's thoughts. Shaking herself slightly, Brinna refocused her attention on Bastila.

"I've always struggled for control over my passions," Bastila confessed. "I've always been too quick to anger, too quick to get involved. My instructors constantly berated me for it. I've often dreamed that I might be able to confront Darth Malak myself. I dream I can use all this power I have to kill him and stop all the death and destruction. I just think about all the evil that the Sith have caused and I…I get so furious. Yet we are told that these feelings are the path to the dark side."

Brinna couldn't have been more shocked if Bastila had pulled her lightsaber and attacked. Never in a million years would she have guessed that Bastila would open up to her and confess such feelings. Hell, for a while there she had almost been convinced that Bastila had no feelings at all. "Are you saying you don't believe in the corruption of the dark side?" Brinna asked in disbelief.

"I don't know. Would the power I used to kill Darth Malak be too tempting to keep using? Would I become the kind of evil I want to destroy? The very thought that I could become as evil as Malak; I just can't fathom it. It just doesn't seem possible. How could I…no, wait. I'm sorry. I shouldn't even be asking you this. The Jedi teachings are clear; who am I to question them? And even worse, who am I to try and make you question them?"

"What?" Brinna asked, stunned not only by Bastila's sudden candor but also by the turn the conversation had taken.

"These are dangerous thoughts, the indulgence of a vain mind. Please, forget I ever mentioned this," Bastila said. She jumped up from her bunk as if it were suddenly full of hot coals and practically bolted from the room, Brinna staring after her.

"I need some air," Brinna muttered to herself. Though the thought of breathing in the dry, desert air wasn't all that soothing, she had to get off the ship for a bit. It was beginning to feel tight around her again and she knew this was caused by her impatience to be on her way to Manaan. Still, she knew she could not leave Tatooine without checking up on Griff and allowing Bastila one more meeting with her mother.

Shrugging a jacket on as she walked, Brinna stepped down the Hawk's loading ramp and shivered just slightly. It was hard to believe that Tatooine was as blazing hot as it was during the day. Though heat still radiated off the baked earth, the air was quite cool and Brinna knew she would have been too cold without her jacket.

She moved away from the Hawk, stepping further into the rather deserted spaceport. There was one guard on duty and, from the looks of him, his fight with sleep was proving rather futile. Suddenly, she saw a familiar form silhouetted against the Hawk's hull and her heart stilled for a moment before it began to beat at an almost uncomfortably rapid pace.

"Hey," Carth greeted her as she stepped over to him.

"Hey," she responded. They stood in companionable silence for a moment, Carth studying the sky while Brinna put up the pretense of doing so as well. Really, she spent most of her time sneaking what she hoped were covert glances at Carth's handsome profile.

"You know, my father would have loved this," Brinna commented, breaking the silence at last.

"Really?" Carth asked doubtfully, looking around the spaceport.

Brinna had to smile. "Not this planet. Desert wastelands weren't really his style. He would have loved this view, though. That's one of the things I do like about Tatooine. Few places have as unobstructed a view of the night sky as this place does."

"It is a nice view," Carth agreed, gazing up at the sky once more. Out of the corner of her eye, Brinna could see him glance at her for a second but then he looked away.


	27. Abduction

_His hand was in hers, warm, steady, and reassuring. When he smiled at her, it was as if her entire world was bathed in sunlight; she could have stood staring at that smile for hours on end. There was reassurance in his touch, comfort and safety and for the first time in years, her heart was at peace. Her sensations of guilt, her conviction that she had been to blame, the memories that had haunted her day and night were all calmed, all made manageable by the gift of his presence._

_But then the light shifted, like clouds scudding over the sun and obscuring its rays. Suddenly, his hand began to slip from hers and she could feel the tension in her own fingers as she tried desperately to hang onto him. She opened her mouth to call his name but no sound came out and when she tried to look at him she could not see his face. Confusion and panic reigned. Why was he leaving her? What had happened? What had changed?_

Brinna sat bolt upright on her bunk, her heart hammering. She raised a trembling hand to her forehead and pushed a sweat-dampened lock of hair out of her eyes. It felt as though she had just emerged from a cold bath, so coated in clammy sweat was she. Her breath came in gulps and she stared blankly ahead of her, trying to remember what it was that had so disturbed her but the harder she tried to hang onto it, the more swiftly the threads of her dream slipped away. It had been about Carth, that much she could remember. But what had caused the dread to settle in her stomach like a lead weight? That she could not remember

She felt a whisper of something brushing against her mind and she blinked, the room suddenly coming into focus. Juhani and Jolee had sensed her disquiet and were reaching out to her via the Force but their efforts were nothing compared to Bastila's.

_Stay where you are,_ Brinna told Bastila via the bond. _I'm fine. It was just a nightmare._ She wondered if Bastila had seen her dream and found that the thought of it caused a slightly queasy feeling in her stomach. It was bad enough that Bastila could sometimes probe her conscious mind but her subconscious?

_Very well_, Bastila responded. Brinna could sense her iciness and knew that she had offended the other Jedi by rejecting her. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at this. After all, Bastila was only trying to help her but, truth be told, Brinna was finding that she was growing rather tired of others trying to help her. No matter how well-intentioned her Jedi brethren were, their attentions were wearing on her. Her every movement in the close quarters of the ship and the necessity of maintaining such close contact with her comrades during the mission already left Brinna feeling exposed. She was used to operating on her own, to being responsible for only herself and it was taxing to feel as though her every move was being scrutinized.

Thus, to feel as though even her mind was no refuge was almost more than she could bear. The bond with Bastila was particularly irksome as Brinna felt certain that Bastila had been privy to things Brinna would have preferred her not to know.

_Like my dream…_

And yet she couldn't quite put her finger on why she didn't want Bastila to know about her nightmare. It had left her shaky and feeling oddly shamed. She shook her head gently in an attempt to clear it but the uneasiness provoked by the dream lingered and she dressed as quickly as possible, hoping to distract herself with the day's tasks, hoping that the sick feeling of dread in her stomach would be forgotten, driven away by industry.

To this end, she headed immediately for the equipment bay. She had been worried about Canderous ever since their encounter with Jagi and she had not had a chance to question him, to see how he was bearing it. Just as she'd suspected, she found him within, standing at the workbench and tinkering with a blaster. Though he appeared to be concentrating on his task, Brinna did not miss the far-off expression in his eyes.

"Yeah? What do you want?" he asked abrasively when she came to stand next to him, making no attempt to hide her blatant stare.

"What are your thoughts now?" she asked him, not even bothering to blink at his tone.

He let out a long breath and his hands stilled. His shoulders were so tense that they looked as though they might snap. Abandoning his blaster altogether, he stared up at the ship's wall, his expression retreating even further inward.

"This thing with Jagi…I…I don't know. Give me some time and I'll be able to sort this out on my own," he said. She wanted to say more to him but she knew by his tone, by his posture, that it would avail her nothing and so she held her tongue. "Is there something else you wanted?"

"Nothing more for now," Brinna told him quietly. She continued to stare at him, forcing him to meet her gaze eventually. The look in his eyes startled her for she could clearly see his conflict. It was a shock. From the first moment she had met him, he had seemed so cocky and so self-assured. He had been cold and pitiless and to see that he now felt regret, that he was questioning himself, struck Brinna very forcefully. Once again, she realized that she had not done him justice. He had depths she hadn't even begun to fathom.

Canderous finally broke eye contact with her. He moved away from the bench and began to tinker with one of the swoop bikes, his back turned toward her. She stared at the broad planes of his back for a long moment before she finally turned and left the bay. When and if Canderous was ever ready, he would seek her counsel. Trying to force it upon him would be useless, she knew.

Bastila was right where Brinna had known she would be. As Brinna entered the cargo bay, she saw Bastila swiftly slip something into her belt pack but she was unable to conceal it entirely from Brinna. It had been the holocron and Brinna felt a suddenly wave of sympathy colored by guilt.

"I'd like to talk about what you said before. About giving in to your emotions," Brinna said. She didn't miss the look of surprise on Bastila's face. Truthfully, Brinna was a bit surprised herself. She hadn't really intended to have this conversation with Bastila but the aftereffects of the nightmare combined with her worry over Canderous had left her feeling rather raw. When she had begun this mission, she had wanted to prove herself to the Jedi Council but the more time passed the more she doubted herself, the more she doubted that she could ever hope to become anything bearing even the most remote resemblance to a good Jedi.

"Yes, I did end that quite abruptly, didn't I?" Bastila mused. Brinna sensed a brief inner struggle taking place in Bastila. "Perhaps a Master could have addressed my questions with the proper wisdom. But I never should have brought it up here. Not with you.

"Part of my purpose on this mission was to guide you in the way of the light; to help you avoid the temptations of the dark side. But I fear I've failed in that task. I don't think I'm the proper Jedi to guide you. I am no Master. You should have remained with the Council."

Suddenly, Brinna saw Bastila as the conflicted teenager that the young woman actually was. Bastila was so good at putting up a front of haughtiness, of worldliness but now Brinna could sense the other Jedi's uncertainty, her immaturity, her lack of experience.

"Why do you say that?" Brinna asked, surprised. For as often as Bastila had lectured, Brinna had always thought that the other Jedi felt certain that her decision to bring Brinna on the mission had been a good one. Deep down, she had to admit that it stung to hear Bastila say such a thing. Her pride flared for a moment and it was on the tip of her tongue to scathingly tell Bastila that she would not have made it very far without her help but she bit the remark back just in time.

_What's the matter with me?_

"The fact of the matter is that I have never possessed much skill at controlling myself," Bastila said, her frankness catching Brinna off guard. "With the bond that joins us, I seem to have even less. You have maintained the path of the light side. But it has been in spite of my influence, not because of it. It is increasingly obvious that I am unable to guide you properly."  
Dumbfounded, Brinna gaped at Bastila. "So what now?"

"I don't know," Bastila said, her voice sounding deeply weary. "I think…I think I may have made a very big mistake. I simply hope you are not the one who pays the price, ultimately, for the fact that I can't help you enough."

_She's as lost as I am_, Brinna thought, her emotions bordering on awe.

"Maybe we could help each other?" she suggested.

A ghost of a smile flashed across Bastila's face. "That's a kinder response than I deserve. And I can see there is wisdom in your words. Perhaps you can help me. And I will try to help you, if I can. Hopefully this will all work out, for the both of us. And for the mission."

Brinna wanted to say something more but Carth entered the bay and the moment was lost.

"Mission's getting a little anxious," he told Brinna.

Reluctantly, Brinna pulled her gaze away from the other Jedi and gently closed the connection to their bond. "Let's go, then. I don't want to make her wait any longer."

She, Carth, and Mission set out for the Czerka office. The Twi'lek teen was silent and Brinna could tell by the look on her face that Mission was steeling herself for disappointment. Brinna glanced over at Carth and saw that he was watching Mission. Worry created a line between his eyebrows and Brinna felt a sudden urge to run a finger over it, to smooth it away. She wished more than anything that she could protect both Mission and Carth from the pain they were feeling, wished that she had the power to reconcile Dustil with his father and to straighten Griff out for good.

_Power…_a distant voice whispered and, for a moment, she was back on Korriban. The icy dread she had felt there permeated her being once again, knifing through her stomach like a blade. _You need only claim it…_

She heard the screams of the captured pilots as the Sith students had tortured them in the training room. She remembered the cold look in Uthar's eyes as he had told her to kill Yuthura. Her head resounded with the sound of Yuthura's defeated voice telling Brinna that she was at her mercy. For a moment she wondered what would have happened if she had seized that instant, if she had struck Yuthura down and claimed leadership of the Academy. She could have taken on her own apprentice, could have shown the galaxy what it meant to fear her very name…

_No!_ the thought was like a shove and it knocked all of the wind out of Brinna's lungs. She gasped as she felt that voice grapple with the one that had whispered to her of power. _Don't let it own you. Own it! Don't give in to a weakness that parades itself as strength!_

"Are you all right?" a voice asked, interrupting her thoughts. Acting on involuntary impulse, she turned to see Carth and Mission staring at her, their faces pale.

"F-fine," Brinna stuttered, unable to keep the waver from her voice.

"For a minute you looked…" Carth said.

"I'm fine," Brinna interrupted, speaking more loudly, speaking quickly so to drown out whatever it was Carth might have intended to say. "I just had a nightmare last night and it's left me sort of shaky."

Mission studied her for a moment longer before nodding and then turning to look back at Anchorhead. Brinna felt a flood of relief that Mission was too distracted to press the matter further and then immediately felt a flood of guilt for having had such a thought.

Carth, however, was not so easily swayed. His concern was obvious as he continued to study her. "You seem to have a lot of nightmares," he said quietly and she knew he was thinking about the very first one he'd witnessed, when they'd been on Taris and he'd cared for her during her convalescence.

"Can you protect me from them as well?" she asked, the words escaping her mouth before she could really think them through. She hadn't asked the question to mock him. Rather, she had asked it just as a child asked a parent to protect him from nameless fears. She felt like a child, wishing fervently that he could banish the bad dreams, that he could protect her from the monsters in the night.

He looked stricken and her heart ached. "If I could, I would," he told her gravely.

She reached for him, caught his cheek in her hand. "I know, Carth, I know."

His hand came up to cover hers briefly and the warmth of it combined with the fearful look in his eyes was more than she could bear. She could feel tears dampening her own eyes as she tore her gaze away from him and let her hand fall from his face. For a brief second, his hand held hers firmly against his cheek but then he let it go and it fell uselessly to her side. There was only one other occasion in her life when she had felt so helpless.

Her mood did not improve when they entered the Czerka shop and learned that Griff had failed to brew the Tarisian ale properly. There was now a price on his head courtesy of the Exchange and he had fled the planet immediately.

Mission's reaction was philosophical as usual and Brinna was once again overtaken by a wave of sorrow at witnessing a little girl who had grown up far too fast. Still, Mission seemed to have made her peace with Griff and Brinna was glad of that. Painful as it was for Mission's illusions about Griff to have been dispelled, it would serve her better in the end as she would never again be as disappointed in him as she had been upon learning that he had chosen to leave his sister behind on Taris.

Griff's departure had left them with no reason to linger and so they didn't. Soon after Mission, Carth, and Brinna boarded the Ebon Hawk, they set off for Manaan. The mood on the ship was somber as they left Tatooine behind them. Everyone had plenty about which to think and over which to brood. Brinna's spirits were greatly depressed and that was doing nothing to help strengthen her for her battle against the dark side. It would be so easy to just give in, so easy to just succumb to her baser urges, to seize the power that was promised to her…

But she would not do it. Deep inside there was something that rejected the dark side in whole, something that told her it deceived her. It wore a beautiful face that concealed a rotten soul and she would not let it dupe her. Small though this voice was at times, it was very certain and Brinna wondered from where that certainty stemmed, that firm conviction that the dark side was not all it purported to be. Oh, she had seen enough to show her the depravity of the Sith, to turn her stomach, but this voice seemed to have a deeper knowledge that she could not grasp and it bothered her.

"Where are you?" Carth asked softly. He reached out to her with his right hand, clasping her left warmly. They had drawn first duty and Carth had not hesitated to put Tatooine behind them.

"I'm here with you," she told him, her voice trembling slightly. She could see that her weak attempt had not convinced him of the lie.

"Stay here…stay with me," he told her, tightening his grip upon her hand.

A sudden warmth filled her and she looked at him with grateful eyes. His face was serious, his eyes seeming to draw her in as he studied her. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb for a brief moment and then he stood but he didn't relinquish her hand.

"I want to show you something," he said.

She stood, her eyes never leaving his face, and stepped around the console that separated them. He drew her close to him, so that they stood facing one another. As always, the proximity of his body to hers set her heart to hammering and she hoped her face wasn't flushed, though she was certain it was.

"Do you see this?" he asked, indicating a small scar beneath his left eye with his free hand.

"Yes. How did you get it?" she asked him.

"When I was seven, Morgana and I were out with some of our friends. We had gone to a house that was rumored to be haunted by the restless spirit of a murdered woman. If you stood outside and chanted 'tragic Trinna' five times, she was supposed to appear."

Brinna arched a brow at him and he chuckled. "Hey, I never claimed to have been smart. And don't try to act like you never believed wild tales like that when you were a kid."

"No, not me," she said airily, trying desperately to conceal the smile that had begun to spread over her face. "I was far too smart for that sort of stupidity."

"Right," he said, making a face at her. "Anyway, they all dared me to go up to the house and chant. I made it to the fourth 'tragic Trinna' before a branch snapped and I got spooked. I don't think I'd ever run that fast before; I cleared the ground in about three seconds flat and attempted to launch myself over a low wall that surrounded the place. My foot caught on it and I fell, cutting myself. Morgana always said I was too nosy for my own good."

Brinna couldn't help but smile, both at the picture of a young Carth engaged in such foolish antics, and at his rather clumsy way of attempting to apologize for his behavior towards her. "You're not being nosy," she told him.

"Promise?" he asked, gently running the back of his left forefinger over her right cheek.

"I promise," she said, rather breathlessly. "Morgana…was she your wife?"

"Yeah," he said, his voice low. Pain clouded his eyes for a moment. "We grew up together."

"You didn't fail her and you didn't fail Dustil, Carth," she said, reaching up to cover his free hand with hers. It had gone still on her cheek and she regretted her question not because she hadn't wanted to know but because it had caused Carth pain.

"When you say that, I almost believe it," he told her, his voice sounding somewhat wistful.

"I would never lie to you just to attempt to ease your conscience."

"I know. I know you wouldn't and I…" his voice trailed off and his eyes flickered and she knew he had been about to say something very important. She heard him draw in a quick breath.

"You what?" she asked him.

"I have a confession to make," he told her. She knew it wasn't what he'd originally intended to say but he had stepped a bit closer to her and lowered his head a bit so that he was so close their lips were little more than centimeters apart.

"Oh?" she asked, her heart hammering so wildly in her chest that she couldn't think coherently.

"I've been a little jealous."

"Jealous?" she asked. She was so surprised he could have knocked her over with a feather and she could see that he knew it. He smiled but reddened at the same time and she found him more endearing than ever.

"Yeah, jealous. I thought maybe you and Canderous…"

He was interrupted by the shout of laughter she let out. The idea was so outrageous that she couldn't control herself and he looked rather chagrined, leaving her to feel contrite. "Mandalorians aren't really my style," she told him, her voice soft.

"Oh?" he asked. She knew he was trying to sound casual but he was failing miserably. "What is your style?"

"Well," she breathed, "I have always been rather fond of Republic star pilots."

His eyes flashed and she found both of her hands caught in his. He held them to his chest, over his heart, and she could feel that it was thundering every bit as rapidly as hers. Her breath was coming in little gasps and her eyes fell closed as his face approached hers, as his lips touched hers…

"Brinna!" a sharp, cold voice said, ruining the moment.

She and Carth jumped apart and he dropped her hands. They turned simultaneously to see Bastila glaring at them both with a wrathful expression. However, the bulk of her anger seemed directed toward Brinna and Bastila rounded on her.

"Have you not listened to a word I've said? What do you think you are playing at here?"

"Playing at?" Brinna asked, her own voice rising angrily. "I'm not 'playing' at anything."

"You know that a Jedi cannot form attachments. You know it violates the Code, that it flies in the face of everything for which the Jedi stand, that it goes against everything in which we believe."

"Don't lecture me about the Code, Bastila," Brinna said coldly. "This is none of your business."

"None of my business?" Bastila repeated, her nostrils flaring in indignation. "It is none of my business that you have chosen this path toward indiscretion?"

"Don't you dare ever use a word like that again," Brinna said, her fury nearly blinding her. "Don't you dare make it sound cheap like that!"

"What could possibly come of this?" Bastila snapped.

"You're out of line, Bastila," Carth interjected and Brinna could hear that he was every bit as angry as she was.

"No, Carth, _you_ are out of line. Brinna is a Jedi and you know…"

"I don't care. Jedi or no, it doesn't change how I feel about her," he said in a tightly controlled voice.

Both Brinna and Bastila stared at him at these words. His face grew red but Brinna knew it was from anger, not embarrassment. "Brinna is a grown woman, an incredible, intelligent, and caring grown woman who is perfectly capable of making her own decisions. I don't think the Jedi appreciate just how incredible she is but I do."

His words penetrated the fog of Brinna's anger and left her feeling weak. The expression on his face told her how dead serious he was and her heart responded, longing for him. She turned to Bastila and was on the verge of telling the other Jedi in no uncertain terms just how she felt about Carth when the ship suddenly rocked, nearly throwing them all off their feet.

"What was that?" Bastila asked, immediately throwing herself into the co-pilot seat.

"Sith Interdictor ship. We're caught in its tractor beam," Carth said. He had taken the pilot's seat and Brinna stood behind him, holding onto the chair.

"Do you recognize the ship?" Bastila asked.

"It's the Leviathan. Saul Karath's vessel. My old mentor," Carth said, his voice growing disturbingly calm. Brinna looked down at him and saw that he was sitting back in his seat, his arms folded over his chest. She felt a flash of fear for him that was so powerful it made her sick.

"Carth…" she began.

"We need a plan and we need one fast," he said and she knew he hadn't heard her, which only worried her more. "Come on, we need to discuss this with the rest of the crew."

The three of them moved at once toward the corridor. They found the rest of the crew gathered in the common room and everyone looked at the three of them expectantly, though Brinna was certain Jolee and Juhani already knew what had happened. She had been dimly aware of their Force presence.

Carth told the others what was going on and then added, "When the Sith attacked my home world, the Leviathan—which is Saul Karath's flagship—was at the head of the fleet. My family was destroyed that day and my wife died in the Sith bombardment."

Brinna once again felt a nauseating wave of fear. "Don't do anything you'll regret, Carth," she pleaded and she could clearly hear the desperation in her own voice.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid. I won't throw our lives away on some mad quest for vengeance. But no one had better get in my way if I get a shot at Saul."

Her blood felt like ice water in her veins but there was no time for Brinna to address his comment directly. She would simply see to it that she didn't leave his side for a single second. For as much as he was determined to protect her, she would lay down her own life to ensure that he did not do something that would leave him scarred forever, something that might very well get him killed.

Brinna pointed out that Saul would be keeping a close eye on her, Carth, and Bastila and Carth prompted her to quickly choose one of the others to effect a rescue. With both her heart and mind racing, Brinna quickly mulled over the possibilities before choosing Jolee.

"They'll probably only leave a single guard to watch over an old man like me. I could use the Force to convince the guard to set me free, then I could free the rest of you," Jolee said.

"Okay, Jolee, the fate of the crew is in your hands," Brinna said grimly. Through the Force, she could sense his sarcastic response to her words but she had little time to worry about it.

There was a loud bang and a jolt as the Ebon Hawk was finally pulled into one of the Leviathan's bays. Carth's chest was heaving and his eyes were narrowed in concentration as they heard their loading ramp being lowered and the ominous sound of footsteps walking up it that followed.

Her heart in her throat, Brinna reached for and seized Carth's hand, holding onto it for dear life.

_I will stay here, stay with you forever,_ she thought as they were suddenly overwhelmed by the Sith.


	28. A Devastating Revelation

The ship was soon flooded with Sith and the sound of their footsteps was almost deafening to Brinna's ears. Horror washed over her and a sense of failure so strong that it made her weak in the knees threatened to rob her of all composure. Her stomach churned and she felt an instant of disbelief. She had never been a coward so why was their abduction affecting her as it was?

Glancing to her left, Brinna found that answer to that question. Her hand was locked on Carth's in a death grip and she found that he was holding onto her just as tightly. His face was white and she noticed with a jolt that at some point he had stepped slightly in front of her, though she could not say when. He was partially shielding her with his body and a strangled gasp escaped her at this realization.

Her first instinct was to attack, to defend that which was most dear to her, but even as her free hand closed upon the hilt of one of her lightsabres, she knew it would be useless to resist. They were simply overwhelmed by the Sith and it would be foolish to waste energy at this point. Far better to go relatively quietly and to bide time until Jolee could effect their escape plan.

Though the Sith were none to gentle with any of the crew members, it was obvious that Carth, Bastila, and Brinna were the real prizes. All weapons were seized and everyone was cuffed but Brinna, Carth, and Bastila received the most brutal treatment. After snatching the belt from around her waist, one of the Sith firmly planted a fist in the small of Brinna's back and she promptly went down to her knees, her eyes watering at the pain. She heard Mission cry out and could hear the sounds of the young Twi'lek struggling but her eyes were too clouded by tears of pain to see what was going on. Her Jedi brethren reached out to her, her pain becoming their own, and she heard Carth give an outraged cry that was cut off by a sudden loud cracking noise.

"Carth!" Brinna choked, looking over to see that he was now sprawled on the floor next to her. His eyes were squeezed shut in obvious pain and one of the Sith soldiers was standing with his foot pressed into the middle of Carth's back. Brinna could see from the way Carth's cheek was being pressed into the floor that the soldier was exerting plenty of pressure upon Carth's back.

"Struggle all you like. It won't get you anywhere," one of the soldiers sneered, seizing Brinna by her hair and yanking her head back with such force she saw stars and felt as though her scalp was being separated from her skull.

"Don't rough them up too much. The admiral will be angry," another soldier cautioned the one who was assaulting Brinna.

It was with obvious reluctance that the soldier eased his grip on Brinna. As much as she wanted to cry out in pain, she refused to give the soldier that satisfaction. She gritted her teeth until her jaw ached, biting back the sob that pressed at the back of her throat.

Carth was hauled to his feet and he, Brinna, and Bastila were separated from the rest of the crew. As Brinna watched her comrades being hauled away, she saw the stricken look in Mission's eyes, the cool collectedness of the other two Jedi, and the murderous expression that Canderous wore. HK was shouting invectives and threatening to blast everyone for daring to harm his master and T3 was beeping madly. Zaalbar roared some very obscene things and managed to knock over a few of the Sith soldiers before they managed to subdue him.

_Are you all right?_ Bastila asked Brinna via the bond.

_No lasting damage,_ Brinna assured her tersely. _The others, I hope…_

_I know,_ Bastila interrupted and Brinna knew that though the other Jedi had the same fears and thoughts that she had, Bastila did not want Brinna to vocalize them, even via the bond.

Brinna's scalp felt as though it was on fire and her spine was sore where the Sith soldier had punched her. The pain enraged her and for a moment her vision went rather red. In her mind's eye, she could picture herself seizing her lightsabres, could smell the charred flesh of the Sith soldiers that she had hacked to death with them…

"Brinna," Carth whispered urgently, breaking through her reverie. She looked over at him and saw that his face with clouded with pain. Suddenly, she could feel his pain and she knew it had nothing to do with the injuries he had sustained at the hands of the Sith. He must have seen something in her face that had disturbed him and she felt suddenly boneless with fear.

_Why does this keep happening to me? Why? What am I becoming?_

She could feel herself trembling and she knew she had not established enough of a wall between her and Bastila. It was likely the other Jedi could read just about every thought Brinna was having, feel every emotion that Brinna experienced. In return, Brinna could sense fear emanating from Bastila.

They were stripped of all but their underthings and led into a holding bay with three cells. One look at them told Brinna that she and her companions were in for a world of pain. Acting on instinct alone, she lunged for Carth's hand and her fingers just barely managed to brush his before one of the Sith grabbed her by the wrist, twisting it so hard that she could feel that the small bones in it were on the verge of snapping. Carth roared and was rewarded with a smack across his face from one of the Sith's blasters.

_Brinna,_ Bastila called out, her bond voice distorted by pain and something that seemed strangely like regret.

"Go fetch your admiral," Brinna growled at the soldier who unceremoniously pushed her into her holding cell. "Tell that coward to come down here and speak with us," she added as a force field was raised, trapping her inside a tube so small she could barely move. Sitting would be out of the question.

It was impossible to tell how much time passed as they waited for Saul. It was easy enough to tune out the jeers of the Sith soldiers but it wasn't so easy to try to resist Bastila, who kept attempting to draw Brinna more deeply into their bond. Looking at Carth hurt so much that it nearly undid Brinna and she saw in his eyes a pain that mirrored her own. At that point, she knew it was best for them both if she didn't look at him.

At last, Saul entered the room. He strolled in like a man without a care and didn't hesitate to open a dialogue with them by taunting Carth, insulting the Republic soldier by telling him that the years had been unkind, that he was barely recognizable.

It didn't take a Force bond for Brinna to feel the hatred that roiled within Carth. Forgetting her resolve not to look at him, she turned to see that he was regarding Saul with a look so caustic Brinna was surprised that it didn't eat right through Saul's skin. Carth's fists were so tightly clenched that his knuckles were bloodless and the muscles in his jaw were taut. His body was rigid as he confronted his former mentor, lashing out at Saul for attacking a civilian target without provocation.

Saul's attitude about the attack on Telos was so callous that it made bile rise in Brinna's throat. His excuse was that the Sith would not have trusted him had he not attacked, that he had to prove to the Sith that he was one of them. He told Carth that innocents always died in war and Brinna wondered if this flimsy rationalization enabled Saul to sleep at night.

"My wife died in that attack, Saul. And for that, I swear I will kill you," Carth said. The tone of his voice sent a chill down Brinna's aching spine.

Saul brushed his former protégé off, telling him that he was an insignificant part of the events and that it was the Jedi—Bastila and Brinna—in whom Malak was truly interested. Bastila immediately informed Saul that he and the Sith would be destroyed and that they would not betray the Jedi.

"Your words are brave, Bastila, but the lure of the dark side is hard to resist—or so I've been told. I wonder if your companion is as devoted to the light as you are," Saul said, turning his eyes on Brinna for the first time.

"You're wasting your time, Saul. I'll never betray the Jedi!" Brinna told him, her voice hoarse with anger.

"You're defiant. I'm certain Malak will find your loyalty to the Jedi amusing. The Dark Lord would probably reward me if I just killed you once and for all. But he may want to question you given the trouble you've caused him…and the history between you."

_The history between us?_

Brinna knew that Saul was baiting her, that he wanted her to ask him what he meant by the history between her and Malak but she refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she replied, "Malak won't get any answers from me!"

Ignoring her, Saul talked on, informing them that Malak would likely want to torture them once he arrived; Brinna immediately refocused her attention on her bond with Bastila. She would not ask Saul what he had meant by his comment but she would ask Bastila. Suddenly, all of Carth's paranoia and all of her own unease over the way Bastila and the Council had been acting seemed justified. There was something going on, something about which no one had deigned to inform Brinna.

"There's something very dark about you…" Jolee's voice suddenly rang in Brinna's head.

_The history between us?_ Brinna repeated, this time for Bastila.

She could feel the other Jedi's tension, could sense Bastila frantically casting about for an answer.

"Don't waste your breath, Saul!" Carth burst out, distracting Brinna and saving Bastila from the necessity of answering. "We won't answer any of your questions."

"I'm sure you won't," Saul sneered. "However, we both know your friend's loyalties have proven in the past to be somewhat…flexible."

"What are you talking about?" Brinna spat at him, staring directly into his flinty gaze.

A mocking smile of satisfaction curled the corners of his lips as he informed her that he was the one who would do the questioning and she was the one who would answer. "The interrogation will begin now," he continued. "Each time you refuse to answer or give me a false answer, Carth will suffer."

Brinna felt as if the bottom had dropped out from under her and she was falling, falling. Her head snapped around and she met Carth's steady brown gaze. It was then she realized just what a sadistic bastard Saul was. He knew that threatening her with her own torture would avail him nothing. Instead, he would strike her where he perceived a weakness.

Her stomach heaved and, for a split second, she feared she would be forced to empty to contents of it in front of Saul's sneering gaze. An agonizing choice lay before her and she did not know what to do. When she thought about it, she thought of the millions who would suffer if she were to give Saul the information he was seeking and that made her path seem clear. But then she imagined the pain he would inflict upon Carth if she refused to answer and those millions seemed so faceless that Brinna could scarcely comprehend their existence. In that instant, she lost the will to fight Saul.

But then a small but insistent voice spoke. _What would Carth want you to do?_

She knew then what she had to say. "I will not betray the Jedi, not even to save Carth." There was no quantifying what it cost her to speak the words.

"My pain is meaningless! Tell him nothing!" Carth called out to her, determination clear in his voice.

"I tire of these games—now I want answers!" Saul snarled. "On what planet is the Jedi Academy at which you were trained?"

She closed her eyes as a dry sob ripped, unbidden, from her. "Jedi Academy? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Very well. This is the price of your resistance," Saul said coldly. He gestured to one of the soldiers.

The sound of Carth's screams filled Brinna's ears and it took her a few seconds to realize they were so loud because she was screaming as well. Unimaginable pain knifed through her body, stealing her of her breath, her will to live, her very soul.

_Carth!_ her heart screamed. _Carth!_

His pain was because of her, because she had refused to answer Saul in a manner that satisfied the admiral. As Carth's screams ceased and were replaced by the ragged sound of his breathing, Brinna wanted nothing more than to lie down and die. Any resistance that had existed crumbled and she knew Saul would get just what he wanted out of her.

Brinna barely heard the admiral as he informed them that the question had been a test, that Malak had known the Academy was on Dantooine. He told them the Academy had been destroyed and Brinna knew with absolute certainty that he was not bluffing. Still, as painful as it was to think of all the dead Jedi, it was far more painful for her to recall Carth's screams, screams that seemed to echo on and on and on in her mind.

"You will pay for this crime, Saul! You and all the Sith!" Brinna cried out in a raw voice.

The admiral sneered openly at her, telling her they were empty threats. "Now…tell me your mission. How were the Jedi planning on using you to stop Lord Malak and our Sith armada?"

He had broken Brinna and she sensed Bastila's horror as she opened her mouth to respond. Bastila already knew exactly what Brinna intended to say. "We were searching for the Star Forge," Brinna said, her voice wavering beyond all control.

"Why? Why are you telling him this?" Bastila cried out harshly.

Brinna felt detached from her own body as she listened to Saul tell Bastila she should be grateful for the pain Brinna was sparing her. As Bastila angrily responded that the betrayal caused her far more pain than any torture could, Brinna looked over at Carth. He was staring at her with a stricken expression. She was suddenly aware of the tears that were rolling down her face. She felt utterly destroyed, utterly impotent. She had betrayed the Jedi and yet was still powerless to protect Carth from pain. In fact, the more she tried to protect him, the more pain she seemed to inflict.

"Tell me, how did you find out about the Star Forge?" Saul asked Brinna.

She closed her eyes. "Bastila and I saw Revan and Malak searching for it in our dreams."

"No! How could you betray the Republic like this?" Carth cried and the recrimination in his tone was almost worse than his screams had been.

Saul smiled sadistically as he mocked Brinna by telling her that her answers were upsetting to Carth. She gagged as he told her how pleasing he found her willingness to cooperate, how useful her answers were. He then left the room, telling them he was going to give them a small taste of the suffering they would incur at Malak's hands.

She welcomed the torture. She opened herself up and accepted the searing pain that the torture fields inflicted. The physical brutalization was far more bearable than the mental and even as she screamed, unable to control herself as the pain seemed to eat her from within, she felt a blessed relief that at least the mental torment had ended. As blackness began to lick at the edges of her vision, she let her body go limp, relaxed into it and accepted it eagerly.

Minutes, hours, days… Time passed by without any sort of meaning. All that existed was pain and a gray haze followed by the beautiful blackness of oblivion and then more pain, more gray haze. On and on this cycle continued until Brinna felt as though she was slipping away forever, falling and falling into the blackness. Then, abruptly, the torture ceased.

Slowly, she began to open her eyes, though she didn't really want to do so. _No! Keep them closed! Slip away!_ her mind ordered but her eyes would not obey. Despite her commanding them to remain shut, they slowly opened. The light hurt so badly it felt as though a vibrosword had been driven through her eye and into her skull but then she saw Carth and her heart swelled with emotion.

_I will not give in. I will not abandon him. I will not lose him._

Bastila and Carth urged her to be still, telling her that the guards had continued to torture them after Saul's departure and that she had received the worst of it. Carth called Saul a sadistic monster and Bastila told him that Saul had been perverted by the dark side, that the tainted path had led him into the depths of evil and that she feared Saul was forever lost.

Those words made Brinna feel a hopelessness that her heart refused to acknowledge. She wanted—no desperately needed—to believe that absolution was possible, even for the most depraved. "No one is without hope of redemption, Bastila," she said, her voice a hoarse croak.

The other Jedi studied Brinna for a long moment before replying that she supposed that redemption was possible. She said it was easy to lose sight of this possibility in light of the devastation she felt at the news of Dantooine. "First Taris, now the Academy…is there no end to the killing?"

"I know…it's hard to believe they're all gone," Brinna said. She reached out to Bastila via the Force. Though it was impossible for her to take Bastila's hand in her own physically, she could do so via their bond. For the first time since she had felt its existence, Brinna was grateful for the bond they shared.

Bastila's next words echoed Brinna's own thoughts. She wanted to believe that Saul was lying but she knew that his words had been true. Brinna could feel Bastila's worry as the other Jedi said they should have felt a disturbance in the Force, that the dark side was clouding their vision. They had lost their one place of refuge in the galaxy.

"None of this will matter if we don't get out of this prison before Saul gets back," Carth interrupted.

"Where is Saul Karath now?" Brinna asked, turning her gaze upon him. She had never before seen him look so haggard and his eyes were haunted as he looked back at her. He told her that Saul had mentioned Malak was on his way and that it was likely Saul had gone to prepare for the arrival.

"I only wish you had been able to resist the admiral's questioning," Bastila said, temporarily making Brinna forget the icy drop of fear that had settled in her stomach at the thought of Malak's approach. "I hope the information you revealed does not bring the entire galaxy under the dominion of the Sith."

Brinna's mouth fell open and she stared at Bastila in disbelief. Sharp guilt mixed with anger nearly overwhelmed her and Brinna found it difficult to master how own emotions. "I'm sorry, Bastila, but I couldn't just let Carth be tortured!"

Bastila began to lecture Brinna about the Code. "There is too much at stake to let reckless passion rule our actions."

"How dare you judge me?" Brinna shouted, losing her fragile hold over her emotions. "You have no idea what it's like to be put into that kind of position!"

"I know if I had been in that position I would not have betrayed the Order and the Republic!" Bastila flung back at her.

"No, you would have just left someone you care about screaming in agony!" Brinna cried, her voice rising. She felt herself spiraling out of control.

"Stop it, both of you!" Carth yelled. "Bastila you…you can't honestly say how you would have reacted in that situation—nobody can! Besides, Saul already had all the information. I could tell. The interrogation was a sham. Saul was toying with us. He didn't care what we told him. I think it was just an excuse to torture us before Malak arrived."

"Did you feel that? A disturbance in the Force," Bastila said, her quarrel with Brinna forgotten. The dread she felt matched the dread Brinna felt and, for a moment, the two Jedi existed in perfect harmony. "The admiral has sent his message. The Dark Lord knows we are here now. Malak is coming."

"Well, then we better hope Jolee busts us out of here before he arrives," Carth said in a forced even voice.

They fell silent. Brinna strained her ears for some sign that Jolee's arrival was imminent but she could hear nothing. Her eyes filled with tears once more and she closed them, wishing she would never again have to open them. Bastila's words rung in her head, stinging her and adding more pain to the pile of guilt and self-hatred Brinna already felt. Though Carth's assertion that Saul had merely been toying with them had brought her a tiny sense of relief, it was fleeting.

_I am weak,_ she thought. _The fate of the galaxy was placed in my hands and I failed the test._

And, yet, what else could she have done? What kind of choice had been given to her? How could one weigh her betrayal of the Republic and the Jedi against the betrayal she would have shown Carth had she not sought to protect him?

_What is worse, to betray millions of those you don't know or to betray one whom you do, one whom you love above all else?_

At that moment, the doors to the containment area opened. Brinna tensed, anticipating Saul, but when the doors opened she saw Jolee. Relief flooded through her but it died as soon as she realized that she had not sensed his presence. Bastila was right; the dark side of the Force was clouding their vision.

_Malak draws nearer_, she told Bastila. The expression on Bastila's face was grim as she tersely nodded her agreement.

Brinna didn't have much time to dwell on it for the others came jogging into the room after Jolee, who had turned his attention to the controls and was attempting to lower the fields holding Bastila, Carth, and Brinna in containment.

"Brinna!" Mission cried.

"It's okay, Mission," she said, trying to sound calm but knowing she was failing miserably. She was so relieved to see Mission alive and unharmed that she wanted to weep. "Stop eyeing me, Mandalorian," she added, trying to do something to ease the tension in the room, to ease the pain in her own heart.

Canderous's thundercloud expression vanished and was replaced by a challenging smile and the gleam that lit his eyes whenever Brinna taunted him. "After seeing the old man in his skivs, anyone looks good," he replied.

Jolee ignored the dig, his concentration clearly focused on the control panel. A second later, he hit the correct combination and the fields were lowered. In spite of her bravado, Brinna couldn't help but stumble as the support of the field disappeared. Instantly, Carth caught her arm, steadying her.

"Brinna," he murmured, his lips brushing over her left cheek. She was on the verge of taking his face in her hands when Bastila's voice reminded her of where they were and what was happening.

"Well done, Jolee. I knew we could count on you. A Jedi never fails to get the task done!" she praised the elder Jedi.

Carth gave Brinna a look of intense relief before saying, "If I remember the layout of this ship our equipment should be in a storage chamber just through the north doors. After we grab our stuff we need to get to the main bridge controls. The bridge is the only place we can open the docking gates of the hangar where they've got the Ebon Hawk. We have to open those gates before we can fly out of here!"

"We'd better get moving. I can feel the darkness of Malak's presence approaching and I don't want to be here when he arrives. None of us is a match for the Sith Lord," Bastila cautioned.

"We need some type of plan," Brinna said.

"Surprise and secrecy will serve us best," Bastila said. "A small group might have a better chance of sneaking onto the bridge undetected while the others make their way down to the Ebon Hawk."

"Count me in, then. I've got a score to settle with the admiral before we get off this ship and I have a feeling I'm gonna find him on the Leviathan's bridge!" Carth said, striking fear into Brinna's heart.

"I'm coming too!" she instantly interjected.

"That's a good idea," Bastila said, to Brinna's surprise. "The others can get to the Ebon Hawk on their own but Carth and I might need your help. The three of us will get our equipment and make our way to the bridge. The rest of you head down to the docking hangar where they've got the Ebon Hawk. You'll have to find a way to deal with the guards."

"Don't you worry about that," Canderous said, cracking his knuckles. "I know how to deal with the guards. They won't know what hit them!"

"Good. Get to the equipment room, grab what you need, and get going," Brinna instructed him.

"We'll meet you there as soon as we get those docking bay doors open," Bastila added. "Just make sure the Hawk is ready to fly when we get there. And may the Force be with you."

Juhani took a moment to use the Force to heal Carth, Brinna, and Bastila. Then she and the others headed out, Mission pausing to throw her arms around Brinna in a fierce hug. Brinna hugged her back with equal ferocity, squeezing her eyes shut and thanking the Force that Mission was okay. As soon as Mission's back was turned, Brinna wiped a tear from her eye.

"We still have to get our equipment," she reminded Carth and Bastila as they watched the others leave. "Let's go."

They moved through the ship without much incident and were soon dressing hastily and collecting their gear. Brinna felt free to have a quick rifle through the other supplies and equipment and she quickly stowed several useful items she had found. Bastila and Carth had followed suit but when Brinna turned to tell them she was done, she found that Carth was right behind her, though Bastila was still busy rummaging through a storage canister.

"I know why you did what you did," Carth told her, bringing a hand up to her face to caress it gently.

"I couldn't watch…I couldn't bear…" Brinna said, tears rushing to her eyes and her voice failing her.

"I know," Carth said. Pain was evident in his eyes and Brinna knew he was thinking of when he'd had to watch his wife die in his arms as he had been helpless to do anything to save her. "If anything had happened to you…"

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, holding it to her cheek with both of her own. His free arm went around her, drawing her to his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head and held her for one short, comforting moment before releasing her with one last caress to her face. As he pulled away from her, she caught a glimpse of the look in his eyes and it made her heart lurch. Revenge was on Carth Onasi's mind.

"We need to move," he said, his voice loud enough for Bastila to hear.

Brinna knew that the other Jedi had only been pretending not to notice what was happening and she suspected Carth knew it as well. Though Bastila said nothing, Brinna knew exactly what she was thinking. Once again, the strength of her own emotions had broken down the barrier Brinna usually constructed to hold herself aloof from her bond with Bastila and Bastila had sensed everything Brinna had felt.

They made their way to the elevator, eliminating the few Sith who got in their way. As they reached the lift doors, Brinna's com crackled to life.

"This is Canderous. We're at the Ebon Hawk. Like we figured, it's under heavy guard. But don't worry…we'll figure out a plan to take care of them."

"No doubt about that," Brinna said. She pressed the up button on the lift and the doors shut quietly behind them, the lift carrying them upward.

She looked over at Carth, her gaze pleading. What she saw in his eyes truly frightened her for she could see that he was a man so bent on revenge he was nearly obsessed. Her fears were only confirmed when he looked away from her.

"Looks like our escape has no longer gone unnoticed," Bastila sighed when the doors to the bridge level slid open and the loud wail of an alarm met their ears.

"No sense in being subtle now," Carth said, lunging at one of the Sith who was bearing down on them.

As they fought their way through the bridge level, clearing room after room, Brinna's gaze remained on Carth as much as possible. He fought like a man possessed, like a man not the least bit afraid for his own safety, and it terrified her. She had seen him angry, had even seen him descend into a sort of battle madness. But never before had she seen him act recklessly. Her Force senses brushed up against his, feeling his intensity, but then quickly retreated. She felt heartily ashamed of herself for even attempting to read him. Whether he noticed or not, she could not say. His face was now a steely mask that gave away no clue to his thoughts.

When they reached the door to the bridge, they found that it had been sealed shut as a security measure due to their escape. Carth cursed under his breath and Brinna could see his mind racing.   
"Follow me," he said, turning and darting off.

She and Bastila ran full tilt after him, straining to keep up. He led them back to a room where they had encountered several dark Jedi and then plunged through it into the airlock.

"We'll have to take the catwalk outside to get onto the bridge," he told them. He began pulling on a space suit and Brinna and Bastila hastily dressed themselves in one as well. Once their suits were secured, Carth opened the airlock doors and they stepped outside.

The beauty of space stole Brinna's breath away and, for the briefest of seconds, she felt as though she was back on the bridge of her own ship again, gazing out into that seemingly endless sky with its millions of pinpricks of light. She could see galaxies and asteroid belts coloring the blackness of space and it left her awed. It was short-lived, however, as the scream of a Sith fighter tearing through space rang in her ears. Glancing about, Brinna saw several more of them and her blood ran cold. The Sith were starting to mobilize now. It wouldn't be long before Malak made his move.

They reentered the ship and hastily removed the space suits. Fear and adrenaline made Brinna's fingers rather clumsy and she could sense Carth's impatience as she fumbled with her suit. Finally, she managed to get it off and they headed out into the corridor, the door to the bridge looming ahead of them. Carth immediately ran toward it and Brinna reached out, seizing him by the wrist.

"Carth, please," she pleaded.

"I have to do this," he said grimly.

Before she could say another word, he had opened the doors and Brinna saw the bridge spread out before them, Saul at the front of it.

"Very resourceful," he said, his eyes on Carth as they entered. "I assume you had some part in this; you learned your lessons well from me."

"The only thing you taught me was betrayal and death, Saul." Carth's voice ran with barely suppressed rage.

"Don't be a fool. I am giving you and your companions a chance to surrender. A chance to live. Darth Malak himself is on his way, he will be arriving any moment."

"He speaks the truth, Carth," Bastila said. She and Brinna could both feel it, the ominously alluring call of the dark side. "I can feel the Dark Lord's presence approaching."

"Malak will destroy you," Saul vowed, "but if you throw down your weapons now I will ask my Master to be merciful."

"I've seen enough of Sith mercy!" said Carth savagely.

"You always did like to do things the hard way. Lord Malak would have preferred live prisoners, but corpses will have to do."

Brinna did not need to think, she simply needed to act. Her lightsabres were in her hands and activated without her consciously telling herself to ready them, and she deflecting the first round of blaster bolts. She heard the snap and hiss of Bastila's lightsabre and the horrible cry that tore from Carth's throat as he pelted toward Saul.

"Carth, no!" Brinna screamed but he was beyond her reach, lost in a need that for years had nearly consumed him.

Tears streamed down Brinna's face as she did what she could, turning her attention to the Sith guards and hoping that she could at least protect Carth from their fire. From across the room, she could hear Bastila calling on the Force to heal their wounds before she too began battling the guards.

The sound of the battle was nearly deafening but it was nothing to the roaring in Brinna's ears. She felt utter anguish over Carth and that anguish was only augmented by the oily evil of Malak's continued approach. Every cell in Brinna's body seemed to revolt against that presence and yet there was something about it, something Brinna couldn't quite put her finger on…

Her battle cry rang in her own ears as she relieved the last Sith guard of his head, her lightsabres a flashing blur. She whirled around and saw that only Saul and his two personal guards remained. Bastila had just finished off one of the guards across from Brinna and was turning her attention toward Carth. Swearing loudly, Brinna called on the Force and the two guards froze in stasis. Saul, however, was unaffected, and Carth continued to bear down on him as Brinna drew in a deep breath, gathered herself, and Force leapt the distance across the room to where Carth and Saul were battling. She raised her sabres, preparing to strike Saul, but something stayed her hand. Some instinct, some elemental emotion of hers commanded her to give Carth the chance to avenge his family and her body obeyed. She turned and struck the guard to her left instead.

At some point, Bastila joined them as well. She took out the other Sith guard and as she and Brinna turned to help Carth, they found him standing over the admiral's prone body, his vibroblade poised to strike. The hatred Brinna felt rolling off him nearly brought her to her knees. She rushed to him, reaching out for him, but then heard a cough that froze her in place.

"The admiral! He's still alive!" Bastila exclaimed.

"It's time to finish this," Carth said. His voice chilled Brinna to the bone.

"No, Carth, don't give in to your hatred!" she said desperately.

"Don't you understand what this man has done to my life? Do you know the pain he's brought me?" Brinna could hear the edges in his voice, knew plainly just how close he was to losing all control.

"Killing him won't ease the pain, Carth," Bastila told him. "Do not become what you despise."

"Carth…must tell you…must tell you something…come closer…" Saul gasped. Carth hesitated for a moment, a torrent of emotions passing over his face, and then he knelt beside Saul, moving his ear closer to the man's lips. Brinna could hear Saul whispering but she could not discern the words.

Suddenly, Carth drew back, a look of abject horror on his face. Saul laughed cruelly and then coughed, but was not cowed. "You didn't know, did you?" he asked, laughing once again. "Remember my dying words. Remember them whenever…whenever you look at those you thought were your friends!" Saul choked.

"He's gone," Carth said, pushing himself away from Saul with a look of revulsion on his face. "He said…it can't be true, can it? No. No…no—it can't! Damn you, Saul! Damn you!"

"What did he say, Carth?" Brinna asked. She was frozen with fear, unable to move and barely able to think.

Carth cast a quick look at her and then he swung his gaze to Bastila. The look on his face suggested he had been savaged, destroyed. "Bastila—it is true, isn't it? And…and you knew! You and the whole damn Jedi Council. You knew the whole time!" he accused.

"Carth, it's not what you think," Bastila said and Brinna was surprised by the desperation in the young Jedi's voice. "We had no other choice! Please, you don't understand…"

"So make me understand!" he said, his voice ragged.

"Not here, Carth. Please…there's no time," Bastila pleaded. "Malak is coming. This isn't the place. Please, Carth, I'm asking you to trust me. For just a little while longer."

Brinna had no idea what was going on but she knew that she was more terrified than she had ever been. As much as she wanted to know what Saul had said that had upset Carth so, she could sense Malak approaching and she knew they had to get off the ship. "She's right, Carth," Brinna told him. She saw him shudder at the sound of her voice and she was bewildered. "This isn't the time. We can get into this after we escape."

"I'll trust you, Bastila, but as soon as we're off this ship I expect some answers!"

"Of course, Carth. As soon as we get to the Ebon Hawk I'll explain everything. To both of you. I promise."


	29. The Bottom Falls Out

Brinna's stomach was churning as she stepped up to the computer on the bridge of the Leviathan and began tapping her way through screens. Behind her she could hear the sounds of Carth and Bastila searching corpses and containers for anything that might be useful to the mission. Her nerves had been nearly frayed since she had found the Ebon Hawk caught in Saul's tractor beam but now the tension seemed somehow infinitely worse. For one, the malevolent presence of Malak was drawing nearer and nearer, causing the Force to twist and turn within her so that she felt all of its dark and light edges most acutely. As if this wasn't enough, there was an almost palpable sense of hostility emanating from Carth and Brinna felt the panicky conviction that he now despised her, though she could not fathom why.

It was like being alone in the deep, dark of space without a single light, as if every star in the galaxy had suddenly been extinguished. She felt alone and afraid, lost without a friend in the universe to guide her. She stood at the center of all events but couldn't say why this was, had not even the slightest idea of the reasons behind it. The urge to scream was so strong it pressed into the back of her throat with enough force to nearly make her gag. Biting down hard on her lower lip, Brinna punched in a series of commands that led to the opening of the docking bay doors.

_We have to get out of here,_ she thought. _We have to get off this ship before Malak gets here. If we don't make it in time…_

She found herself unable to complete the thought. The natural course would have been to say that they would die but, somehow, this didn't seem dark enough. Though she was not eager to become one with the Force just yet, Brinna had the eerie sense that death would be a mercy compared to what she would suffer if she ran into Malak.

Turning from the computer, she saw that Carth and Bastila had finished their search and were standing near the doorway leading off the bridge, keeping a careful eye on it in case any other Sith should head their way. Not a single word was spoken as Brinna hurried to join them. They simply all began to run, heading off the bridge and toward the elevator that would carry them to the hangar level.

As soon as they stepped off the elevator, Brinna's com crackled to life and she could hear Canderous's familiar, gravelly voice. "It's Canderous. We took care of the guards. We're inside the Ebon Hawk and all systems are go. As soon as you guys join us we can get out of here."

"Copy," Brinna said, killing the link. A tiny ray of hope was lit within her; the tiniest sigh of relief escaped her. If they could just get to the Hawk, all would be well—or at least that was what she tried to tell herself. Unfortunately, the price was high and she wasn't in the mood for buying.

Fighting their way through Sith soldiers and dark Jedi, Brinna felt the confused tapestry of Bastila's emotions via their Force bond. Bastila was using all her might to block Brinna from penetrating too deeply, closing off a small part of herself. As a result, much of her feelings were left out in the open and Brinna didn't even need to probe to feel the fear and worry and the sense of guilt that were eating away at Bastila's defenses. It was clear that Bastila was suffering and it frightened Brinna to think that something could actually affect the seemingly stoic Bastila as much as that. Not even her encounter with Helena had inspired such strong emotions in the young Jedi.

The constant low tone of the ship's alarm had seemed to drill itself in Brinna's skull by the time they were on the home stretch leading to the Ebon Hawk. And yet the closer they drew to where the Ebon Hawk waited, the stronger the malevolent side of the Force grew and Brinna knew before the final set of doors was opened who would be waiting for them on the other side.

"Darth Malak!" Bastila said, disgust and loathing in her voice.

Carth reacted so quickly Brinna almost didn't see him move. "Down you go!" he shouted, leaping to attack Malak but it was all in vain. With the slightest flick of his hand, Malak used the energy he channeled via the Force to send Carth down. Though he did not appear to be injured, Carth did not leap to the attack again.

Malak laughed and Brinna's stomach roiled even more violently. There was something about the sound of that laugh that made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand up, that made her feel as though something was just beyond the reach of her consciousness…

"I hope you weren't thinking of leaving so soon, Bastila. I've spent far too much energy hunting down you and your companions to let you get away from me now. Besides, I had to see for myself if it was true. Even now I can hardly believe my eyes…tell me, why did the Jedi spare you? Is it vengeance you seek at this reunion?"

The sense of something tickling at the edges of her consciousness increased as Malak fixed his gaze on Brinna and though this was the first time she had laid eyes upon him, there seemed something strangely familiar about that gaze. His use of the word reunion sent a wave of cold fear washing down her spine. "Reunion? What are you talking about?"

"What?" Malak asked, staring intently into her eyes for a moment more before throwing his head back and laughing that laugh that made Brinna's skin crawl. "You mean you don't know? All this time and you still haven't figured it out? I wonder how long you would have stayed blind to the truth. Surely some of what you once were must have surfaced by now. Even the combined power of the Jedi Council couldn't keep your true identity buried forever, could it?"

It was obvious just how much mirth Malak felt on the occasion. His little speech was punctuated by short bursts of sadistic laughter and Brinna's head soon began to swim. His words seemed to strip the flesh from her bones, to leave her exposed in a way she had never before felt exposed. The more he spoke, the more the thoughts pushed free of the edges of her consciousness and moved to the forefront.

Memory after memory rolled over her. She remembered Carth saying that the Force could do terrible things to a mind, that it could change a person's very identity. She remembered Bastila talking about turning an enemy to one's cause, about how there could be no greater weapon. She saw her Jedi masters from the enclave, calling her a special case, telling her they normally didn't train adults, warning her that the dark side might prove very tempting to her. Especially clear was the evident distaste that Vrook had shown for her all along and that had always mystified her.

A flash and her recurring dream played vividly through her head. In it Bastila's face was so set with determination it could have been carved from stone. She didn't even blink as the Jedi around her were cut down. Bastila's attention was reserved for a figure in black robes, face concealed by a black mask and head covered by a black hood. The figure held a red lightsabre and the weight of it, the feel of it was so very familiar… An explosion flashed, followed by a burst of pain and then blackness.

Now it was daytime on a warm planet. The sky was a clear blue and strong sunlight shone down upon the gray stones of the ominous structure that rose up from the otherwise placid ground below. A breeze stirred the palms and the shushing sound of a sea could be heard whispering through the air. It might have been pleasant if not for that gray stone structure. It might have been a paradise. But the structure itself seemed to pulse, seemed to radiate a malevolence so strong one could almost taste it.

High atop this gray stone structure a figure all in black paused. It was not the salt wind or the sight of the palms or the bright sun that held the attention of the figure. It was the evil of the gray stone structure that interested the figure. Whether this figure belonged to a man or a woman, young or old was impossible to say. Swathed in black from head to toe in shapeless robes, face concealed by the black mask, there was no telling who or what the figure was. Black gloved hands reached up for the mask, tugging it aside, freeing the face.

_My hands!_ a voice screamed.

The mask was removed and the face exposed—a rare sight indeed. Revan's name was known and feared and loathed throughout the galaxy but very few could say who Revan was, where Revan had come from, what Revan looked like. Malak knew, of course. So did the Jedi masters; they had once been Revan's masters, though now they were Revan's greatest enemies.

_And I know._ It was the same voice but now it was moaning in pain and despair rather than screaming.

Salt wind played over the newly exposed skin, stirred the dark, disheveled strands of hair that had escaped the familiar tail. The face was Brinna's. The body was Brinna's. The smile of sheer delight that spread over the face, the smile of one absorbing and reveling in the evil of that gray stone structure, was Brinna's.

"You cannot hide from what you once were, Revan," Malak said, his voice penetrating the fog of recollection, returning her with a jolt to the Leviathan. "Recognize that you were once the Dark Lord—and know that I have taken your place!"

Though she knew deep down in her soul that the words were true, every fiber of her being rebelled. Her brain felt dull and the voice continued to moan, though wordlessly now. It was impossible that she could be falling, falling as she was standing on the solid metal floors of the behemoth Sith ship; and yet she was falling.

"I'm…Darth Revan?" Brinna asked in a voice that did not seem to be her own. "How is that possible?"

"You do not remember, Revan? The Jedi set a trap. They lured us into battle against a small Republic fleet. During the attack a team of Jedi knights boarded your ship. The Jedi strike team captured you and the Council used the Force to reprogram your mind; they wiped away your identity and turned you against your own followers."

She was functioning; functioning but no more than that. Her mouth moved automatically, sound coming out of its own accord. Her mind had ceased to function. "How did they capture someone as powerful as Revan…I mean, me?"

"I helped them, Revan," Malak replied, pride and relish ringing through his voice. "I always knew that one day the title of Dark Lord would be mine! When the Jedi strike team boarded your vessel I saw my day had come. I ordered my own ships to fire on your bridge. I thought I could destroy all my enemies with a single glorious victory! I never dreamed the Jedi would take you alive from the wreckage."

Why did she struggle for understanding when it really didn't matter anymore, when nothing really mattered anymore? "But why did you betray…your master?"

"You mean why did I betray you, Revan," Malak sneered, enjoying her confusion, her denial. "You are the one who taught me the ways of the Sith: the strongest must rule if we are to survive! You knew I would one day challenge you for supremacy but you underestimated me. I acted sooner than you expected and seized the Sith throne with a single, brilliant stroke!"

"No, I don't believe you, Malak!" A burst of denial in the eleventh hour, when it was already clear that all had been lost, that everything she had known and believed was nothing more than an illusion.

"You must have seen flashes of your old life in your dreams, Revan; memories bubbling up to the surface? Surely you must remember the battle in which you were captured?"

"Bastila, is this true?" She needed to know. She needed Bastila to make the final cut, to drive the blade into her heart. Then the betrayal would be complete, then there would be a handle protruding from her chest to match the one protruding from her back.

"It's true," Bastila said. Some dim part of Brinna—Revan?—felt Bastila's agony but it left very little by way of impression. "I was part of the team sent to capture Revan…to capture you. When Malak fired on the ship you were badly injured. We thought you were dead. Your mind was destroyed, but I used the Force to preserve the flicker of life in your body. I brought you to the Jedi Council. They were the ones who healed your damaged mind."

"But the memories I have…where did they come from?" Amara's face, her mother's laugh, the sound of her father's voice as he sang to her while they glided through the never ending depths of space…

"The Jedi Council didn't restore your wounded mind, Revan!" Malak interjected. "They merely programmed it with a new identity—one loyal to the Republic! They tried to make you their slave!"

What was left for her? She could turn her back on Bastila, she could scream and rage but it wouldn't make untrue what she already knew to be true. To do so would be to heap more satisfaction onto the pile in which Malak was already reveling. Later, perhaps, she would truly feel the anger, truly feel the rage of what the Jedi had done to her, what Malak had done to her, what she had done to herself. For now all she knew was she did not want to give Malak anything, not one single thing.

"I understand, Bastila," Brinna said. "You had no other choice."

"Forgiveness, Revan? You are weak; I was right to betray you," Malak said scornfully. "You are not fit to rule the Sith! A small part of me has always regretted betraying you from afar. I always knew there were some who would think I acted out of fear, that I did not want to face you. But now fate has given me a second chance to prove myself. Once I defeat you in combat no one will question my claim to the Sith throne; my triumph will be complete!"

"Your power is no match for the light!" Brinna said, despising him with all she had in her. She didn't know where the words came from, they were simply there and they were simply the truth.

"The Jedi Council were foolish to let you live. I won't make the same mistake. We shall finish this alone in the ancient Sith tradition: master versus apprentice, as it was meant to be!"

Once more, Malak called upon the Force, using his power to put Bastila and Carth in stasis. Her feet were swept out from under her as she was hit with his Force powers as well, her body swept in a dizzying circle that increased the sense of violent nausea she had felt ever since she had realized the horrible truth. When it finally wore off, Brinna fell to the ground with a heavy thud, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Bastila and Carth were still in stasis and she had no choice but to leave them behind so that she could pursue Malak. Propelling herself through the doors, she found him, and she crouched into a low, defensive stance as he gestured to her mockingly, challenging her.

Brinna was alone—but then she hadn't felt as though she had anyone else, not since Saul had satisfied his vindictive nature by whispering his dying words to Carth. Devoid of friends, devoid of comfort, devoid of anything other than the simple need to defeat Malak, Brinna reacted by using her own command of the Force to boost her speed and her resistance to Force powers.

As the battle raged, she could not say for what she was fighting. The need to defeat Malak was rooted within her very core but the truth of the matter was she could not say if this was Revan's need to defeat an insubordinate apprentice, to punish that apprentice's insolence and so reclaim the Sith mantle or if it was Brinna's need to save the galaxy from that Sith mantle. All capacity for rational thought had fled her when she had been assailed by the flood of memories and she was now acting on pure instinct alone.

Her body was a machine. Her muscles bunched and flexed, her mind utilized the powers of the Force to aid her in battle. She kicked, she leapt, she parried Malak's lightsabre and struck out at him with her own, its blade little more than a dazzling blur. Her skin was singed with wounds she didn't remember seeing and sweat poured over her face and into her eyes but she barely even noticed the physical discomfort. Her vision was a narrow, white tunnel focused only on Malak and a low keening in her head compelled her to continue running after him each time he ducked through another set of doors. Like a rat in a maze, she pounded in hot pursuit after her prey, overwhelmed by her need to finish what had begun long ago.

Perhaps her rage had blinded her or perhaps she was becoming exhausted by the seemingly endless battle and pursuit. Whatever it was, it caused her to lose her guard, allowing Malak to put her in stasis. Though she could not move, her mind remained active, sending signals to her limbs preparatory to the moment where the stasis would wear off and she would once more be able to attack Malak. Before he could so much as raise his saber against Brinna, though, Bastila rushed into the room.

"This isn't over, Malak!" the younger Jedi spat out, her dual-bladed saber held out before her. Brinna could hear footsteps pounding down the corridor and she knew Carth was not far behind.

"Your friends do not give up easily, Revan; you always could inspire loyalty. But even the three of you together cannot stand against my power," Malak sneered.

"For the Jedi!" Bastila cried, striking out at Malak, her blow on the mark, causing him to grunt in pain. "I'll hold Malak off. You two get out of here! Find the Star Forge!"

"No, Bastila, he's too strong! No!" Carth screamed, as the doors between the room in which she and he were standing and that in which Bastila and Malak were fighting slammed closed. He rushed over to the door, frantically trying to open it and Brinna felt her body jerk as she regained control over it once more.

"The door's sealed, we can't get past! Come on, we have to get to the Ebon Hawk!" Carth cried, his voice edged with a mixture of rage and fear.

"What about Bastila? We have to help her!" Brinna cried in response, the words tearing from her raw throat. Her body was so tense and so tired that her muscles burned in protest. She could barely resist the urge to try to tear the door down with her bare hands.

"Bastila doesn't stand a chance against Malak, but we can't help her. Not here," Carth said, with savage, brutal honesty. "We have to get off this ship and find the Star Forge. That's the key to beating the Dark Lord! Bastila sacrificed herself so we could get away. We can't let her sacrifice be in vain! Come on!"

Brinna felt her body moving without even being aware of commanding it to do so. Her head seemed filled with a gray fog, images of rage, fear, horror, joy, all emerging like restless spirits. She felt wild, uncontrolled, like an animal incapable of rational thought, propelled by instinct alone. She wanted to scream and sob and tear the Leviathan apart.

Somehow she managed to follow Carth to the Ebon Hawk. She could feel the loading ramp moving as whoever was steering the ship barely waited for the two of them to get onboard before they rocketed out of the Leviathan's bay. The larger ship's cannons fired on them and Brinna could hear Canderous shouting about fighters in pursuit.

It was instinct that also caused her to look at Carth, to seek out something that had once seemed safe and peaceful to her. The look on his face nearly undid her completely and she turned her head away with a low moan of pain. She lost all sense of time as images from her past—both real and invented by the Jedi—raced through her mind, voices and songs and sounds all coming at her in a deafening jumble, colors so bright and vibrant that they seemed to pierce through her eyes. It was impossible to say how long it lasted. It seemed like an eternity and a short blip in time, all at once. When she finally returned to the present, she saw that Carth was no longer in the room with her and her legs began to move, carrying her to the ship's common room.

The rest of the crew was already gathered there and Jolee and Juhani stared baldly at her. They knew of her thoughts for she had been helpless to protect her mind, helpless to erect a wall that would keep them from accessing her emotions via the Force. She found that she was too sick and weary to care.

"Where is Bastila? What happened on that ship?" Jolee asked, his eyes darting from Carth to Brinna, Brinna to Carth.

Carth answered, his mouth set in a grim line. Brinna could see his pain and it sent a slice of bright white pain through her chest. "We ran into Malak. He would have killed us, but Bastila sacrificed herself so we could get away."

"You mean she's…she's dead?" Mission asked, her voice quavering.

"Bah," Jolee scoffed. "Malak won't kill her, don't be foolish. He'll want to use her battle meditation against the Republic. Turn her to the Dark Side and the Sith will always be victorious."

"We can't help Bastila—not unless we find the Star Forge first," Brinna said, without realizing she had intended to speak. Out of every emotion that she felt, she knew which one was propelling her actions now: desperation.

"Not so fast," Carth said harshly. "We've got a bigger issue to deal with here. They deserve to know the truth about you. Do you want to tell them what Malak said, or should I?"

"I don't care what Malak said!" Brinna told him, the words ripping out of her with a ferocity that frightened her. "I'm not Darth Revan, I'm Brinna Warrim."

"Revan?" Mission asked. "What…what are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, it's no joke," Carth assured her. "The Jedi Council captured Revan and erased the Dark Lord's mind, programming in a new identity. Saul Karath told me on the Leviathan and Bastila confirmed it!"

"You're Darth Revan? This is…this is big," Mission said, clearly fumbling for words. "Do you...do you remember anything about being the Dark Lord?"

Brinna gritted her teeth and fought for control over the mess of her mind and emotions. She answered truthfully. "Small bits. A few strange dreams and visions. That's all."

"Just a few flashes? That's it? Nothing more? Then I don't think there's a problem. It seems to me that if you don't really remember anything about being Revan, then it doesn't really matter anymore. You are who you are now, right?"

"Of course it matters!" Carth cried, his voice incredulous. "How do we know more memories won't come flooding back? How do we know Revan won't suddenly turn on us? The whole time we've been chasing after Malak we've had his old Sith Master right at our side; listening to our secrets; hearing our plans!"

Every time Carth called her Revan, it cut like a knife. What did she feel for him now, for this man she had loved wholeheartedly, who had seemed to return something of her affection but who now seemed to hate her with every cell in his body?

"But I'm not the Dark Lord anymore!" she shouted, desperate for her crewmates to believe her, desperate for Carth to listen, desperate to convince herself. "I'm Brinna Warrim. I'm one of you!"

"I don't see the Sith Lord standing here, I see a friend who's been with us through thick and thin!" Mission insisted. "Remember—Malak's the one who tried to destroy Taris!"

"I agree with Mission. "I swore a life-debt to the person you are, not to the person you were," Zaalbar added, turning to face Brinna. His growls seemed to pierce something within her, causing a great, sticky blackness to ooze out of her.

"Big Z and I will stick by you," Mission told her, moving to stand next to her and placing her arm supportively around Brinna's waist. "We owe you our lives; we won't desert you now!"

The words of Mission and Zaalbar caused a dam to break and she could feel herself openly weeping as she looked at the others. For the first time since they had known one another, Brinna found herself leaning against Mission for support rather than the other way around.

"How can you say that, Mission?" Carth shouted, his voice taut with rising emotion. "The Sith bombed my home world! Revan took away my family and destroyed my life!"

He blamed her but then could she really claim that she did not understand why? Though it made her feel as if her soul was shattering into a million pieces, she listened to his words—listened and understood.

"Everyone knows it was Malak who gave the order to attack your people, Carth. You can't blame Revan for that," Canderous said, coming to Brinna's defense.

"I…I suppose you've proven yourself to be a friend of the Republic by your actions so far…Revan. But can I trust you? Can any of us?" Carth asked, sounding as if wild rancors could hardly haul the words out of him. It hurt Brinna far more than she could say to listen to how he chose to frame his sentence, to the words he employed. He lobbed the hated name at her like it was a plasma grenade and that caused her more pain than anything else. Once, she knew, he would never have dreamed of causing her any pain. But, then, could she blame him when she herself had once caused unimaginable suffering?

_Revan caused it, not me!_ a fierce voice insisted. _I'm not Revan!_

Still, she had to know, not only for her sake but for the sake of the mission. Her agony was indescribable but there was a bigger picture on which to focus and whatever it cost her, she would focus on it. She had to, not only for the sake of Bastila and these people whom she had come to consider her friends, not only for the sake of the Jedi, not only for the sake of the nameless millions peopling the galaxy, but also for her own sake.

Carth's question wasn't invalid though. She had to know if the others trusted her because if they didn't there was no hope of their mission succeeding. Facing them now, she found that she was terrified, afraid they would reject her, cast her out and leave her alone in the cold. Regardless of her confused emotions, regardless of the blurred line between what was real and what was Jedi fiction, Brinna knew what it meant to be alone.

"What about you, Jolee?" she asked, turning to the elder Jedi.

"What about me?" Jolee shot back, in a manner that implied she was asking him a truly asinine question. "I already knew who you were, though it wasn't my place to tell you. Better off you know, if you ask me. Does it change anything? I'm not here to judge you. You'll do what you'll have to do and I'll help if I can."

Stunned as she was at this revelation, it did not last for long. His cryptic comments suddenly made sense to her and she knew that he wasn't putting on a show of false bravado. For a moment she was very angry with him for not telling her, for letting her go on thinking that she was something she was now being told that she was not. However, her anger melted quickly as she realized just how humbling it was that he had known what she had once been and had stuck with her just the same, putting his own life at great risk. He could be annoying at times but she had always felt that Jolee had faith in her, that he believed in her and that had always meant a great deal to her and always would.

"What do you think, Canderous?"

"You defeated the Mandalore clans in the war, Revan. You were the only one in the galaxy who could beat us. We had never met one like you before, and never since. How can you even ask if I will follow you? Whatever you are fighting, it will be worthy of my skill. I'm your man until the end, Revan, no matter how this plays out," he said, his admiration clear in his voice, making Brinna squirm.

She didn't like how he called her Revan and she didn't like how he now seemed in such awe of her because she had once been the cruel Sith Lord, yet it didn't surprise her. Admiration of might had been deeply ingrained in Canderous, to the point where those who didn't know him well would likely think it was the only thing that mattered to him. But Brinna had watched Canderous learned, had watched him grow throughout their mission and she knew there was something decent deep down inside of him. His struggles had not been easy and she admired him for taking the path less traveled as he had of late. Now she knew that, in may ways, she and Canderous led parallel lives.

"What do you have to say, HK-47?" she asked, more to give herself a break from the onslaught of emotion she was feeling than because she really wondered what the droid would do for she doubted he'd miss any opportunity to spill blood, even if she was now bent on following the path of the light.

"Commentary: I am…experiencing something unusual, master."

"Why? What's happening?" Brinna was wary. The last thing she needed now was yet another unusual occurrence.

"Answer: My homing system is a function of my assassination protocols…that which I told you had been deactivated. This was not. It seems that the homing system deliberately restores my deleted memory core upon…upon returning to my original master."

"You mean…Revan?" she asked, her eyes growing wide. She could hear the others gasping and making sounds of disbelief.

"Affirmation: Correct, master. Sith protocols maintain that all droid knowledge be deleted before assassination missions, and restored upon return. I have returned to you and my full functionality is now under your personal command. It is a distinct pleasure to see you again, master."

"I'm not exactly Revan anymore, HK-47…" The words were said not so much to warn the droid as to reassure herself.

"Observation: That does not matter, master. I am your droid, regardless of your actions or personality."

"Wow. What are the chances of that happening?" Mission asked, her voice filled with awe and disbelief.

"Remember we're talking about the Force, here," Canderous said gruffly, rolling his eyes. At this point, Malak himself could drop out of the sky and I wouldn't bat any eyelash."

"Good point."

A strained half smile on her face, Brinna turned to the other droid. "you won't abandon me, will you T3?"

Her reply was an excited burst of beeps that made Mission smile.

"I knew the little guy would come through for you—droids don't hold grudges," the teen told Brinna.

There was one member of the party with whom she had not yet spoken but as Brinna looked over at Juhani, she could feel the other Jedi reaching out to her via the Force and knew it was best if they spoke in private. Exchanging a brief nod with the woman whose life she spared, whom she had turned against the dark and back toward the light, Brinna turned her gaze to Carth once more.

"Well, Carth—will you stand with me against Malak?"

"Well, the others seem to trust you…and I don't see any other way that we can stop the Sith and I suppose that Malak is the real enemy here… I really don't have any other choice, do I?"

The answer hurt, though she tried her best to conceal her pain. "I'm not Revan anymore, Carth. You have to believe that," she pleaded. Her desperation was plain in her voice and it caused the others to turn their eyes away but Brinna was beyond caring. She could bear everyone else abandoning her but she could not bear his abandonment. She could not imagine herself continuing on without him. He was not only a part of her life, he was a part of her very being.

"I want to believe you. You've proven yourself time and time again during our mission, but this is a little much for me to wrap my mind around," he told her, his voice hesitant.

"How do you think I feel?" she asked, bitterly.

"This must be even more of a shock to you… I don't know how you even keep going. I guess we both just have to find a way to push forward. Don't worry—I won't let my personal feelings get in the way of my assignments or this mission. But don't forget: I've sworn an oath to defend the Republic! As long as this mission stays on course I'll stick with you. But I won't let you betray the Republic under any circumstances!" he declared in an impassioned burst.

There was an uncomfortable silence as the others studied the floor and Brinna kept her eyes fixed on Carth's, not bothering to hid the depths of her agony from him. Finally, he looked away from her, sighing and scuffing a boot over the Ebon Hawk's vented metal floors.

"So I guess that's it then…" he said, his voice quieter. "We keep going. We've still got one more Star Map to uncover if we're going to find that Star Forge and save Bastila, so let's do it before it's too late."

With those words, he turned on his heel and strode off toward the cockpit. A frown creased Canderous's face and a thunderous look descended on him and then he too strode off toward the cockpit. Brinna had a feeling he and Carth wouldn't be sharing a soothing cup of tea but she was too weary and too troubled to pursue it. If the two of them came to blows, so be it. She wanted only to speak to Juhani and then to be alone for a bit so that she might attempt to process everything she had learned.

Sensing this, Jolee gave her a brief pat on the arm and then cleared his throat gruffly when he saw the tears that welled in her eyes as a result. He headed off for the sick bay. Mission threw her arms around Brinna and hugged her tightly.

"You're my big sister, Brinna," the twi'lek said. Reaching up, she tugged a little painfully on a strand of Brinna's hair. "You should get a decent cut, sis. Come on, Big Z, let's take these two buckets of bolts into the cargo bay and see if we can't make them look more presentable."

HK's string of threats trailed after him as he and T3 followed Mission but they only availed him a burst of laughter from Mission and a growl of warning from Zaalbar. Brinna watched them through blurry eyes, her heart pounding painfully in her chest as a result of Mission's compassion.

"How…how can you possibly be Revan?" Juhani asked from behind Brinna. "The one…the Jedi whose troops saved me on Taris… It was Revan, leading an army out to defeat the Mandalorians. It was you… I knew when I heard that you had become the Dark Lord of the Sith that something was wrong with it. The woman who saved me, who I…I have come to care for, could never go completely to the dark side."

"I do not know who that Revan was," Brinna answered honestly, her shoulders slumping under the weight of a terrible past that she could not remember, a past for which she was responsible even though she could remember nothing of it. "I am not her."  
"It is good to know that you have truly changed," Juhani said. Brinna could feel the sincerity of the Cathar flowing to her via the Force. It calmed her for a moment, made her feel that whatever anyone wanted to call her, whatever the Jedi had programmed into her, she truly was Brinna Warrim. "It gives me some hope. I do not think now that I will fall to the dark side. I only have to look to you and follow by your example and there is no way I can fail."

"You will do fine, Juhani." She felt the weakness of the words but knew that Juhani could feel the flow of her emotions, emotions that said much more than any words Brinna could have spoken would have said.

"That is especially meaningful coming from you. I will never forget what you did for me, even if you do not remember it." Juhani looked at Brinna for a moment more and then headed off in the direction of the women's bunks.

For the first time since Malak had taken such delight in pulling her world out from under her feet, Brinna found herself alone. Though she had wanted some time to sort things out, she found that now that she had it she was terrified. Her breathing and her heart rate quickening, Brinna felt her stomach lurch, causing her to run for the commode.


	30. Agony

Hours, minutes, days—perhaps even years—passed.  There was no telling how much time it truly was.  All that she knew was that with each second fresh waves of pain rolled over her, sickening her body and soul.

She was sweating profusely now, her skin clammy and wet.  Another wave of nausea swept through her and once more she found herself hanging over the commode, her stomach trying to rid itself of contents that had long ceased to exist.  When the heaving finally subsided, she fell back, landing hard on her rear but scarcely feeling the pain.  Her head seemed so heavy that it was impossible to understand how her neck managed to support it.  Lifting a trembling hand, she swiped it over her soaked forehead, a useless gesture as it was soon covered in sweat once more. 

It seemed like every inch of her was wracked with pain.  She could now feel the wounds that Malak had inflicted, now that the adrenaline had worn off and cold reality had set in, robbing her of the blissful unawareness of what her body had suffered.  It was not only her injuries that caused her pain, however.  Her abdomen ached with the force of her violent heavings, her head ached with a pain so blinding it felt as though her brain were molten lead, and her lungs ached from the sharp indrawn breaths she was forced to take as a result of her sobs.  Dimly, she was aware of her Jedi compatriots attempting to reach out to her but she was so lost in her own misery that their efforts were all but useless.

_Even if I had the strength and serenity to heed them, would I?_ she wondered to herself.  Perhaps what she was feeling was not merely a result of what she had suffered; perhaps she also wished to punish herself.

It was so perplexing, this self-loathing.  Her mind felt as if it were trying to tear itself in two.  There was the part of her that knew that she was Revan, that did its best to dredge up whatever dim memories of the past that it was able.  But then there was the part of her that stubbornly insisted that she was not Revan, that she was Brinna.  This part of her paraded recollection after recollection through her head.  She heard the sound of her father's voice, felt her mother's arms around her, and knew the warmth of Amara's cheek pressed against her own.

_But it's not true!  None of it is true!  Father doesn't exist, Mother doesn't exist, Amara doesn't exit.  They never did exist, never.  They might as well be characters in a holo serial.  Who knew the Jedi were such masters at weaving works of fiction?_

She was so tired, so very tired.  Weary unto her very soul, Brinna felt as though her bones were liquid.  Unable to find the strength to hold herself up any longer, she allowed her body to slide down, where she lay with her cheek pressed against the vibrating metal of the ship's floor.

The desire to stay there forever was very strong.  Could she close her eyes and will herself into an eternal sleep?  What would happen to her then?  Would she be bound to the Force and able to bask in its lightness or would she be a subject to its darkness forevermore?

_You can't give up.  You deserve neither such luxury nor such punishment.  There is much yet for you to do, many people whom you cannot leave behind.  Someday you will meet your end—and it may well be someday soon—but until that time, you must go on.  You owe it to so many others and you owe it to yourself._

This was, perhaps, the worst punishment of all.  After learning what she had learned, it seemed that there would be no peace for her other than oblivion.  And yet she could not embrace that oblivion, could not allow herself to know it for she felt beholden to these people.  She knew without a doubt that this mission had no hope of success at all without her.  When they had saved her life, the Jedi had made her the ultimate pawn.  They had to have known it too.  As long as she continued to roam the galaxy, Malak would not be content, even if he succeeded in breaking Bastila and exploiting her battle meditation, even if he was able to unlock the power of the Star Forge.  He would stalk her unto the very edges of the universe, if necessary.

_Why does he hate me so?_ she wondered.  Though he had explained it away as an example of the eternal conflict between Sith master and apprentice, she had sensed that there was something more.  His hatred had a tinge of obsession to it and she could not imagine why.  Though it felt as though there was a part of her that was struggling to break free and pour forth memories of her past atrocities, she had been honest with Mission.  Thus far, she had only been able to remember small pieces of what she had once been, of the life she had once known.

_The skill of the masters must have been enormous indeed._  She could not stop herself from feeling the wonder.  A thoroughly broken body was nothing compared to a thoroughly broken mind.  She wondered how long it had taken them to strip her mind down and to then restore it, placing within it those thoughts and feelings they had wished her to have.

A part of her was very angry that they were all dead, and not because she was incensed about their deaths in and of themselves.  Rather, she was angry that she would not have the opportunity to seek them and question them, to find out what they had stolen from her and why they had programmed her as they had.  Why make her believe herself to be a scout, once a captain of her own ship?  Why fill her with memories of her family?  They had sent her on this mission.  Had they truly believed that it would never come to this, that she would never discover who and what she truly was?

_Perhaps they wanted to punish me.  Perhaps they felt that death was too good for me._

The thought made her shudder.  A short time ago, she would never have imagined the Jedi masters to be capable of anything other than respectable thoughts.  Now, however, dark and light were so twisted within her that she could assign dark intentions to the masters she had once seen as nothing other than pure servants of the light.

"Come out of there," a gruff voice called, breaking into her thoughts.

Startled, she gasped and just managed to raise her head off the floor.  "Go away," she croaked, her voice sounding like sand scraping over the hull of a ship.

"Come out of there," the voice repeated and she wearily recognized it as that of Jolee.  "Your wounds need attention."

"I don't care about them," she said listlessly, allowing her head to fall back down on the floor.

"I don't care if you don't care!  You're no good to any of us dead!"

Brinna chuckled bitterly and felt a few tears trickle over her cheeks.  "I'm no good to any of us alive either!"

"Put your violin down and quit wallowing in self pity.  There are more pressing issues than your abject misery."

Had she the strength, Brinna would have been incensed.  As it was, she had to admit that Jolee's harsh words finally gave her the impetus to haul herself off the floor and stagger over to the door.  She leaned heavily against the frame as it whooshed open, revealing a stormy-faced Jolee.

"You look like hell," he said bluntly.  His nose wrinkled.  "And smell like it too."

"I'm not really attempting to win any beauty pageants at the moment," Brinna said sarcastically.

Jolee nodded as if she's said something really profound.  "That'll do for now.  I haven't known you that long but I've known you long enough to know that you're not one of those women who tucks herself into a corner and weeps when there's a crisis.  Now get moving.  Go to the sickbay so I can take care of those wounds."

A swift, fierce flame of anger lit within her and for a split second she felt an almost uncontrollable urge to crush Jolee with the strength of her Force powers.  A shadow crossed over his face and she knew that he could feel her malevolence.

"You'll want to learn to control that," he told her mildly.

Now it was remorse that flooded through her and the tears began again.  "I don't know who I am anymore," she whispered desperately.

"You're the same as all of us," he answered.  "You're whoever you decide to be."

With that, he turned and made his way toward the sickbay and Brinna followed, barely able to summon the strength to lift her feet high enough to clear the floor.  She stumbled and nearly fell but somehow managed to make it to the sickbay and onto a bed without utterly collapsing.

"Everyone hates me now," she said in what even she recognized as a self-pitying voice.

"You hate yourself," Jolee shot back at her, gently rolling up her left sleeve so he could take a look at her arm.

"Yeah, I do," she said, swiping her right arm over her face to dash away the tears.

"Well, stop it.  There'll be time enough for that once this mission has finally ended."

In spite of herself, Brinna laughed, though her laughter was mingled with tears.  "You're a pro at consoling people, you know that?  What bedside manner.  I can't believe you became a Jedi rather than a medic."

"I don't hate you," he told her, as he probed gently at a gash on her arm.  He was quiet for a moment and she felt the soothing warmth of the Force's healing glow.  "And I don't think anyone else does either.  How can they?  What have you done that would give them the right to hate you?"

"Carth hates me," she whispered.  "He thinks I destroyed his home world."

"Correction: he thinks Revan destroyed his home world.  Whoever you are, you don't meet the descriptions of Revan that I've heard."

"But I could," Brinna said, her throat feeling thick.  It was a difficult admission.

"That hardly makes you unique, does it?  We could all fit that description if we were so inclined."

He moved to her left side and she gasped at the contact of his gently probing fingers.  "Broken ribs," he told her and once more he used the Force to heal her.

It felt so strange, that comforting caress of the Force.  How could something that could be so dark and insidious, so oily and black as what she had felt emanating from Malak, as she had felt emanating from herself as she had recalled those moments spent on that island, also be so benevolent, so warm?

"That's the eternal mystery, isn't it?" Jolee asked, clearly reading her thoughts.

"You know what it's like too, don't you?" she asked him.

"I do," he said soberly.  "And so does Juhani.  And so does Bastila.  And so do ninety-nine percent of the Jedi in this galaxy.  Are we somehow special, are we chosen, because we're Jedi and we're in tune with the Force?  If so, it's also something of a curse, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Brinna replied.  She closed her eyes, feeling relatively calm for the first time since she had set foot on the Leviathan.

"You need some rest," Jolee told her.  "You won't be doing anyone a favor if you collapse from exhaustion."

Far too tired to protest, Brinna merely nodded slightly.  In truth, she didn't plan on doing a thing to fight off the unconsciousness that was constantly threatening to overtake her.  She feared the dreams that might come but also knew that she could not evade them.

_But they're not dreams, they're memories,_ she reminded herself.  It seemed strange to think of them that way but that is what they truly were.  Every one of the dreams of the star maps she had experienced had actually been a piece of her old life as Revan coming to the surface.  Perhaps this was because her mind was more susceptible when it was in a truly relaxed state.  Perhaps there was no real way of knowing.

What was surprising to her was her lack of desire to stave off these dreams.  There was no denying that they had been extremely useful up until this point and she could not deny that they likely would continue to be.  The question was what she wanted out of all this: redemption or revenge?

_All I really want is to go back to being Brinna Warrim, to lose this unwanted knowledge that I have gained._

Yet Brinna was a big girl now.  She knew that this childish wish could not be granted, knew that all that remained was for her to spend every day of the rest of her life facing up to what she had once been and trying to figure out what she now wanted to be.  On the surface, it wasn't difficult.  She had seen what the Sith could do and she wanted to stop them.  The infliction of suffering on others was repugnant to her and every gesture of charity she had made on this mission had been driven by the desire to do some good—however small.  She did not want Malak to unleash suffering upon the galaxy, the magnitude of which no one had ever before experienced, no matter how their lives had been devastated by the Sith.  The destruction of Telos and Taris were child's play compared to the havoc Malak would wreak if he was successful.

This was not all, for Brinna had come to not only care about all of her companions; she had come to love them.  Now that she knew she was truly without family, their presence was even more important to her.  This was why she had questioned them all earlier, why she had to know how they felt about her.  She could not turn her back on them and walk away without suffering terribly in the bargain, even if they could turn and walk away from her without a second glance. 

_Even if Carth hates me from now until eternity, I'll continue to love him for just as long._  The thought made her want to sob anew.

Still, in spite of all this, deciding to follow the path of light was not that easy.  Her feelings of love and compassion were matched by her feelings of rage and enmity.  She felt that her Jedi masters had violated her in the worst of ways and she was angry that she could not punish them for it.  Their deaths had cheated her of that opportunity, had robbed her of the chance to make them accountable for what they had done.  Yes, she hated Malak but she felt that she hated her Jedi masters just as much, if not more.  Malak had betrayed her and had cut a swath of destruction through the galaxy but the Jedi masters had violated her trust, had played her for a fool, and had cost her everything that was of any value to her.

If Jolee was attuned to these thoughts, he said nothing about them.  He ministered to her injuries without word and when he was finished, he quietly bade her goodnight and left the sickbay.

She thought for a moment about heading for her bunk and decided against it.  Mission and Juhani would greet her with compassion, she was sure of that, but the fact was that she didn't really even want compassion at the moment.  She felt tainted, vile, and had no wish to be in the presence of others.  Though her conversation with Jolee had been of some help to her, she was relieved that he was gone.

As she lay on the sickbay bed, she thought of everything that had happened since she had awakened on Carth's ship.  So much of what had happened now made sense to her; Calo Nord's interest in her, the cryptic things that others had said, Jolee's mysterious behavior.  These realizations were strange and gave her memories a different tone, as if she was now looking at them through a special filter that allowed her to see their colors properly.  Coupled with her feelings of rage and betrayal and hurt were feelings of humiliation.  It would be kind to say that she was like an actress but it was more accurate to say that she was like a puppet.  Bitterly, she thought of how she had been convinced that she was acting of her own free will when, really, she had played into everyone's hands, from the Jedi masters to Malak.  All it took was for them to twitch her strings and they got what they wanted out of her.  Had she not been on the receiving end of this, she might have admired them for their skill.

Finally, she could hold sleep at bay no longer and she slipped into it without any real struggle, resigning herself to whatever her subconscious might see fit to dredge up.  Fortunately for her, it restricted itself to memories of the star map on Manaan.

The world she saw before her was very different.  Strange plants stood, swaying in an odd manner.  There was an equally odd quality to the atmosphere; it seemed wavy, somehow, and somewhat opaque.  Her body felt strange too, restricted in a way to which she was not accustomed, and she had a sensation similar to being in a very small room, a sense that no matter how she gasped, she could not draw enough breath.

_Underwater.  I am underwater, _she finally realized.

Her body felt strange because she was wearing a special suit that enabled her not only to breathe but to resist the enormous pressure that the sea was exerting upon her body.  She wanted to move at a normal pace but her movements were sluggish because of the suit.  After what seemed an eternity, she finally made it to the dark shape she could see looming in the distance and once more the petals opened and the star map appeared before her.

When she woke from the dream, she checked the chrono that was still strapped to her wrist.  It was yet nighttime and she was surprised to see how few hours had passed since they had returned from the Leviathan.  It felt as though she had experienced several lifetimes in the span of such a short amount of time.  Though Jolee's healing had helped her to feel better, she still felt as though every inch of her had been battered and she knew it would take a very long time for her psychic wounds to heal—if they ever did heal.  She wondered if this was how a baby felt at the moment of its birth, emerging out into a world that was cold and entirely foreign, that was filled with sounds and smells and sights that bombarded and overloaded one's senses.

Turning onto her side, Brinna stared blindly ahead.  The sickbay was dark but she could still see a faint glow from its instrument panels, as well as a dim light coming from the corridor beyond its doors.  For a brief second, she wondered where Carth was but then she forced herself to think of something else, as a means of both punishment and mercy.  It hardly mattered whether she thought of him or not; either way, she was inflicting torture upon herself.


	31. A Question of Justice

            There was little sleep for Brinna after her dream and when she rose the next morning she didn't feel the slightest bit rested—which was hardly surprising.  She knew that she needed to remain focused, that Malak still needed to be stopped, but she could feel apathy stealing over her and she had little strength left to battle against it.  For the first time in her life—or as far as she knew anyway since she now knew her memories weren't exactly to be trusted—Brinna simply wanted to throw in the towel.

            But she wouldn't do it.  There were many reasons for this but it wasn't solely duty or a wish to act nobly that was propelling her.  Though the desire seemed flickering in comparison with her wish that she could just run away from it all, there was still a part of her that insisted that she was not Revan.  She was Brinna Warrim now and even though she knew that the very name was fictional, she had also begun to construct a life for Brinna and it was a life of which she was not willing to let go.  It was a life for which she had fought and for which she would have died.

            At any rate, it was a life that was even more real to her than that of Revan.  Though she knew what she had once been, her memories of her life as Revan were so scant that they were more like someone else's memories.  One of the most disturbing aspects of the revelation of the truth was that it had left her feeling almost as if she had been split in two.  There was a part of her that was wholly alien, of which she knew next to nothing and the sensation was nearly enough to drive her mad.  She knew the atrocities that Revan had committed, knew that Revan ought to be tried as a war criminal and, yet, how could Brinna be tried as Revan?  How could anyone possibly understand that she, Brinna Warrim, was innocent of those crimes?  She couldn't remember them and the thought of them repulsed her to her very core.  Did that person deserve to be held responsible?

            With these thoughts, her anger with the Jedi returned.  They had wrought more havoc than they had anticipated for they had essentially trapped the psyche of an innocent person inside the body of a guilty one.  Though she would never say that she was sorry that they had stopped Revan, she found it hard to forgive them for having created Brinna Warrim for surely they must have known—or at least feared—that, at some point, she would discover the truth.  Had she been eager to reclaim the mantle of Dark Lord, what the Jedi had done might perhaps not have mattered.  But the fact of the matter was that Revan was someone else to her, someone she could never imagine herself being and now she would be forced to live forevermore with Revan.  In essence, the Jedi had created new life when they had reprogrammed Revan and, in so doing, they had condemned Brinna Warrim to a life in turmoil.  The Jedi had played creator and subsequently robbed a being of her own free will.

            Still, it could not be denied that they had also done her a great favor.  Had she continued as Revan, would she have turned away from the dark side and followed the path of the light?  Would she have done all the things she had done as Brinna—freeing Wookie and Jawa slaves, trying her best to help the poor and defenseless, risking her life to save the Republic—if she had remained as Revan?  The just part of her knew that Revan would likely have continued down the path of destruction and that had the situation been different it might have been someone else trying to find the Star Maps and stop Revan.  It might have been her, Revan, rather than Malak who was slaughtering millions for the sake of her own ambition.

            Lost in the turmoil of her own mind, Brinna (Revan?) saw nothing as she prepared herself for her first day on Manaan.  All actions were done by rote and when she was clean, dressed, and prepared to disembark from the ship she really couldn't remember exactly how she had arrived at the moment.  She couldn't say if the others had reached out to her or shunned her for she had simply been oblivious to their presence and only now acknowledged it, now that she was making a conscious effort.

            Of all her companions, only Carth avoided her glance.  The others looked at her with compassion or concern—or outright admiration, in the case of Canderous—but Carth refused to look at her at all.  There was no question that his avoidance of her broke her heart but it also made her angry.  Rationally, she understood why he was shunning Revan but Brinna Warrim was mad that he was abandoning her in her hour of need.  Was her life to be like this from now on, this constant split between two wildly different personalities?  She wondered how much of it she could possibly endure.

            Yet in spite of her current mixed feelings towards Carth, she wanted him with her, just as she always had.  She wanted to do the right thing, wanted to be Brinna and perhaps take some steps towards atoning for Revan's actions, though she could not see how she could possibly fully atone for what Revan had done.  Still, she could carry out this mission as Brinna but once it was over there was nothing left for her and she would be adrift.  The only thing that might anchor her firmly to a new life as Brinna was Carth.  Without him, she didn't think she would have any desire to go on once Malak was defeated—if she did have any hope at all of defeating him and surviving the encounter. 

            _Maybe now you have the slightest understanding of how Carth must have felt after the destruction of Telos._

            The thought made her heart ache for him once again and she stared at him, desperately willing him to see that she was Brinna and not Revan.  It must have been impossible for him to ignore her eyes boring into him for he looked up and met her gaze for the briefest of instants.  His eyes were cold but this didn't entirely kill the flicker of hope within her for he had at least acknowledged her existence.

            "Will you come with me today?" she asked him quietly, not wanting the others to hear.

            His only response was a nod.  Perhaps she shouldn't have felt heartened by this because it may have been that his only reason for coming along was to keep tabs on her and make sure she didn't suddenly lose herself to the dark side.  Whatever his reasons, though, she had come to depend on him and the thought of having to face the mission without his help—however cold and impersonal—was not one that she relished.

            "Jolee, you're with us.  Let's see if we can find that old friend of yours."

            "I'm not one to turn my back on a friend in need," Jolee told her.  "Of course, I can't do much for a friend who refuses the help."

            Brinna looked from him to Juhani and felt rather chagrined that she had shunned her Jedi brethren.  There was no reason for her to have done so, really, other than her desire to wallow in her own misery, self-pity, and self-hatred.  But she knew that she could not complete this mission successfully on her own and she was going to have to learn how to deal with her emotions without shutting her companions out or there wouldn't be the slightest hope for success.

            Tentatively, she reached out to Juhani and Jolee via the Force and the warmth and welcome she felt there helped to ease her pain, if only slightly.  Juhani's presence was especially meaningful for it helped Brinna to see that there was a hope of redemption.  Though she couldn't fully consider the future ramifications of her true identity, Brinna was realistic enough to know that there would be those who would not forgive her even if she did manage to save the Republic.  She was not certain that she could even forgive herself.  But just as Brinna had not shunned Juhani when Juhani finally turned her back on the dark side, perhaps there were those who would accept Brinna's redemption.

            Her companions were also reassured by her reconnecting to them, she could feel it.  They had been worried about her and that realization was very humbling for Brinna was finally coming to understand just how much those around her cared for her.  Even as Brinna, she would have been gratified to find that she was cared for to such an extent but to realize that now was especially significant.  Her companions had such good hearts for knowing who and what she had once been and for not shunning her because they knew who she was now.

            The first thing Brinna and her companions saw when they set foot off the ship was a confrontation between a Sith and a Republic solider.  When the Sith stormed off, the Republic soldier rounded on Brinna and nearly bit her head off before apologizing sheepishly when he realized that she was a Jedi.  He explained to her that Manaan was the only source of kolto in the galaxy and that the Selkath were maintaining their neutrality and providing the resource to both the Sith and the Republic.  Neither side could afford to alienate the Selkath because without the kolto they would not be able to produce the med packs that were essential to each side's war efforts and so the planet existed in an uneasy sort of symbiosis.  If either side violated the terms of the laws and treaties, the Selkath would destroy the kolto.

            "I suppose we had best watch our step with the Selkath authorities," Brinna mused as the Republic soldier went on his way.

            "That would be wise," Jolee agreed.

            One look at Carth's face told Brinna all she needed to know about his feelings about Manaan's political state.  Still, she had to admit to herself that she could see where the Selkath might think neutrality would protect them.  It was undeniable that the whole structure was a business arrangement but by attempting to maintain their neutrality the Selkath were also striving to free themselves of Sith oppression and Brinna could understand how that would appeal to them.  In the end, though, the actions of the Selkath smacked of self-interest and she couldn't approve of it.  Preserving one's freedom at the price of everyone else's didn't exactly sit well with her.

            Just as they were about to leave the hangar, they were approached by a Selkath who said he was looking to purchase exotic species.  Brinna thought of the gizka who were rapidly taking over her ship and made the Selkath an offer he quickly refused.  Still, with a little persuasion and the handing over of one hundred credits, she finally got him to agree to take the gizka off her hands.

            "Thank the Force," Jolee muttered.  "I thought the mess in the food replicator was bad but it's nothing to the mess those gizka have created.  It would have been a bargain for you to pay him ten times what he asked."

            "They were beginning to become a serious impediment," Carth agreed.

            Their next stop was at the port authority, where Brinna was treated to a summary of Selkath laws; namely, kolto smuggling was an offense punishable by death and Selkath law called for harsh treatment of those who threatened the planet's neutrality.

            "How can you be neutral when the Sith are trying to conquer everything?" Brinna asked in exasperation.

            "The Sith respect the independence of Manaan as much as the Republic does.  As long as we continue to control the production of a resource as valuable as kolto we have no need to fear any conquering fleet.  Should Manaan ever come under attack, we would destroy the supply of kolto and vanish beneath the oceans of our world.  Even the Sith are not willing to risk the loss of a commodity as valuable as kolto."

            "That seems awfully short sighted…" Brinna argued.

            "Your opinion is biased by your own alliances, human.  Only we Selkath can best protect the interests of Manaan and Ahto city."

            Deciding it was pointless to argue further, Brinna paid the docking fee and she and her companions continued on their way.

            "The Selkath are deluding themselves if they think the Sith will allow them to remain neutral," Carth said angrily.

            "Oh, and you don't think the Republic would be just as happy to sway the Selkath to their side?" Jolee asked.

            "Of course I don't think that," Carth snapped.  "What I'm trying to say is that the Selkath are being remarkably stupid.  They could help to give the Republic an edge in the war and, instead, they're burying their heads in the sand.  Claiming you want to remain neutral is all well and good but how can anyone sit back and watch what the Sith are doing and pretend like they're above it?  It's delusional."

            "I agree with Carth," Brinna said softly.  There was some mocking in the gaze that Carth turned on her and it hurt her but she continued.  "The Selkath are trying to pretend they're above it all, which is just plain ignorant.  Anyone with any sense can see that the welfare of the galaxy hangs in the balance.  They can try to maintain their neutrality all they want but it wouldn't do them any good in the end if the Sith were to win.  Do they really think that their neutrality in the war would stop the Sith from crushing them?"

            "Some people don't like the face the truth head on," Jolee said.  "And some people prefer to deal with reality and carry on as best they can."

            Brinna was gratified by this response but Carth's face went a bit white and she knew that Jolee had succeeded in hitting both of his marks.  The conversation ended there, though, because they were stopped by a woman who called out, "Jolee!  It is you!  I…need your help."

            "Elora?" Jolee asked, apparently amazed.  "Of all the people…How did you even know I'd left Kashyyyk?"

            "I didn't.  Nobody knew where you were, not even Sunry!  But I heard the Selkath mention you and your friends.  The Force has brought you to help us!"

            "Why?  Whatever could be the matter, my dear?"

            "It's horrible, Jolee!  Sunry has been arrested!  The Sith have accused him of murder!"

            "Murder?  But how…"

            "It's all a mistake, Jolee!  Sunry isn't a murderer—someone is trying to frame him."

            "Calm down, Elora.  Where's Sunry now?"

            "Sunry's being held at the Selkath courts.  They won't let anyone in to see him.  Please, go to the courts, talk to the judges.  Maybe the Selkath will listen to you."

            "Don't worry, Elora.  We'll get to the bottom of this and help Sunry…somehow."

            "I can't believe Sunry would do such a thing," Jolee said as they walked away. 

            "Sunry is a war hero!" Carth exclaimed.  "We have to help him if we can."

            "We'll go to the courts—as soon as we can find them," Brinna said, turning down a corridor and wandering into a place that was not, in fact, the courts.  Instead, it seemed to be a combination of a cantina and a gathering place for mercs.  The room was thick with them and they came in every variety of life form.

            As she was staring, rather amazed, Brinna was approached by a Selkath who introduced himself as Nilko.  He told Brinna that the Republic was hiring a remarkable number of mercenaries, which surprised her.  His attempts to determine why had been rebuffed by the Republic and the Sith were refusing to give an accurate account.  As for the mercenaries themselves, they were so well paid that they certainly weren't willing to spill the beans.  Nilko's request was that Brinna look into the matter for him.

            "I'm uncomfortable with spying on the Republic," Carth said, echoing Brinna's thoughts.  "But if we could assure the Selkath that they mean no harm, then perhaps it might be worth it."

            Brinna's misgivings were eased somewhat by Nilko's assertion that his sympathies lay with the Republic.  He vowed to protect their interests but said that he would be unable to hold his superiors at bay much longer and that if there was further investigation, he feared that whatever was found would cast the Republic in a bad light.  This was a valid concern and Brinna agreed to look into the matter for him.

            They hadn't made it very far when they were set upon by another Selkath, this one by the name of Shaelas.  Word apparently traveled fast on Manaan, for the Selkath informed her he'd heard she wasn't a friend of the Sith.  Upon Brinna's reassuring him that she wasn't, he told her that his daughter Shasa was among a group of missing Selkath young and that he suspected the Sith were somehow involved.  He feared that their motives were sinister and Brinna could clearly see that he was desperate to find out what had happened to his daughter.  She had no hesitations about helping him and promised to try her best to find out what had become of Shasa.

            "So much for neutrality," Carth scoffed.  "I suppose the Selkath in power use that word to console themselves because it's obvious that the people have strong feelings."

            "Is there really any such thing as neutrality?" Jolee asked him.  "Sure, there's indifference but we generally all like to have our own opinions about things."

            Brinna was about to respond but was jolted by an obviously drunken Sith man who gazed lewdly at her.  Disgusted, she attempted to brush by him.

            "Oh…I get it.  I get a little too forward and you want to hold it against me.  Hey, I just thought of something!  If I said you had a great body, would you hold it against me?" he asked, roaring with laughter as if this were the funniest joke in the galaxy.  "Barkeep, I sense I've offended my lady friend.  Bring me another round so I can drown my sorrows in the sweet nectar of the Selkath people."

            Biting her tongue, Brinna shot the man a black look before moving away.  In truth, she was hurt that Carth hadn't intervened as he had on Tatooine.  Apparently, she was no longer worthy of his chivalry.

            _But I'm not any different now than I was then!_ she thought angrily.  _Why can't he see that?_

            The three were silent as they headed out and continued their search for the Selkath courts.  Brinna's emotions swung wildly from anger to understanding and back again as thoughts of Carth swirled through her head.  She could sense that Jolee felt rather sorry for her, though he also seemed to understand Carth's point.  Truth be told, Brinna did as well.

            _He doesn't know what it's like.  He can't understand it, don't you see that?  How can anyone unless they've experienced it themselves?  Do you honestly think he'll be the first to doubt your sincerity?  You can claim Revan's dead all you want, you can swear up and down that you don't really have any of her memories anymore but do you think that will be enough to make anyone believe you?_

Finally, they found the courts and once the judges had finished mediating a dispute between a Sith and a Republic soldier, Brinna stepped forward and approached them.  After having witnessed the rather lacking justice of the judges, who had declared both sides guilty and fined both ten thousand credits, she didn't have much hope for Sunry.  It seemed the Selkath were determined to maintain their neutrality by finding everyone guilty rather than truly administering justice, lest they appear biased.  Everyone would then be forced to accept the judgment or the Selkath would withhold the precious kolto.  When it came down to it, she couldn't help but feel that the Selkath approach was rather akin to blackmail.

            Fortunately, the Selkath accepted her request to allow her to investigate the murder.  The judges explained that Sunry was entitled to a neutral arbiter and, as a Jedi, they felt that Brinna could fill that role. 

            "I suppose you're Sunry's only hope.  We have to at least try to help him," Jolee murmured.

            "I will now inform you of the pertinent facts in this case," the judge continued.  "You have a limited amount of time in which to investigate and organize a defense of your client, and I advise you to use it wisely.

            "Sunry was seen leaving a hotel, leaving behind a dead Sith woman—Elassa Huros.  He has been charged with murder and is being held in the Ahto city prison facilities.  Due to his crippled status, he is being kept in a solitary holding cell.  Witnesses claim to have seen the killing and are being detained at the hotel in question pending the trial.  The manager of the hotel has now been informed of your appointment.

            "Elassa was found dead of a blaster wound with an incriminating Republic medal clutched in her hand.  This information has been uploaded to your datapad.  It would be wise to review all information before the trial starts.

            "You may question Sunry or the witnesses.  The evidence in this case is heavily stacked against Mr. Sunry.  I believe it will take some doing to absolve him of guilt."

            _Not exactly impartial, are they?_ Brinna thought with a grimace.

            "Yes…but it almost seems too heavily stacked, doesn't it?  Very suspicious," Jolee muttered.  Brinna couldn't help but agree.

            Brinna spoke with each of the judges in turn and, not surprisingly, found a wide variety of opinions about the case.  Some found the medal suspicious and she was told by one of the judges that the Sith were pressing for a guilt verdict.  More than one expressed doubt that a man Sunry's age could kill a Sith woman in her prime and one even went so far as to suggest that the murder wasn't an act perpetrated by one person but was, in fact, part of a vast Republic conspiracy.

            "The Republic believes in justice, as do you," Carth retorted angrily.  "We just want Sunry to be fairly treated, that's all."

            Jolee motioned for Carth to be quiet and Brinna was glad that she hadn't been the one to have to do it.  While she agreed with Carth, she could also see that this judge had some very definite opinions and she felt it was best not to give him any more reason for prejudice.

            As soon as they left the courts, they headed immediately for the prison to pay Sunry a visit.  He and Jolee greeted one another warmly and talked a bit about all the times they had each saved the other.  Brinna could feel her anxiety level slipping up a notch.  What if she failed Sunry?  Would Jolee hold it against her?  Would he think she had done it intentionally?

            Pushing these thoughts aside, Brinna began to question Sunry about what had happened.  While she did agree that the medal seemed mighty convenient and that the evidence against him appeared to be rather circumstantial, she couldn't help but feel suspicious about his repeated protests that he was "just a crippled old man."  Something about this particular phrase didn't sit right with her.  Though she did sympathize with his having been played for a fool by Elassa, she wasn't certain she bought the argument that Sunry was too feeble to have been able to harm her.  Though he certainly was disabled by his injury, he still appeared to her to be a man who could take care of himself.

            When she had finished speaking with Sunry, Brinna sought Elora to elicit her side of the tale.  Elora also claimed that Sunry was too old and crippled to have harmed Elassa.  Jolee agreed that Sunry was rather too old to be able to harm anyone and Brinna regarded him incredulously.  As they left, she couldn't help but ask him if he was trying to say that he himself wouldn't be able to overpower someone simply due to his own age and he protested that the situation was different because he was a Jedi and in shape.  Brinna, however, remained skeptical and she could sense that Jolee was also feeling a flicker of doubt.  As for Carth, he was giving away nothing.

            They arrived at the hotel where the witnesses were being held and Brinna began by questioning Ignus, the manager.  He had some very interesting things to say about past liaisons between Sunry and Elassa and Brinna could begin to feel her temper flare.  It seemed her client had been less than forthcoming with her about the real nature of his relationship with Elassa.  He had made it sound as if it was a simple case of him trying to turn her into a double agent when, in fact, it appeared they were having an affair. 

            Ignus was pretty firm in his belief that Sunry had left after the shot had been fired.  He said that Sunry couldn't run too well but admitted that there was a slight possibility that the shot had been fired after Sunry had left.

            Brinna was still chewing this information over when they went to speak with Firith Me, one of the other witnesses.  They learned that Elassa and Sunry's rendezvous were regular and noisy.  With a bit of coaxing and a small bribe, Brinna also learned that Firith Me had discovered that Elassa was a dark Jedi as he had once bumped into her and revealed the lightsabre she was carrying.

            The last witness was a Rodian named Gluupor who admitted that the Sith had paid him to plant Sunry's medal at the crime scene. 

            "Clearly the Sith want him to be found guilty—which is hardly surprising," Brinna commented.  "But I just can't help but feel that this isn't all as cut and dry as it seems.  Why wouldn't Sunry have told us about his affair with Elassa?  It makes me feel like he is hiding something."

            "Yes, he was rather less than open with us, wasn't he?" Jolee asked, sounding rather uneasy.

            "That doesn't prove he did it," Carth argued.  "Maybe he doesn't want his wife to know about the affair.  Besides, we know that the Sith purposely planted evidence.  Why would they do that unless they knew Sunry was innocent and they were afraid the Selkath would rule in his favor?"

            "You do have a point," Brinna conceded somewhat grudgingly.  "Still, I can't help but feel like there's something going on here that I can't quite put my finger on…"

            She was so lost in her musings that she almost missed the man who was lurking just before the hotel exit.  She was startled when he approached and asked if she was investigating the murder.  Curious, she confirmed that she was.

            "This murder is much more complicated than it may first appear," the man told her.  "Sunry and Elassa are proxies for their government and both sides want the other to fail."

            Perplexed, Brinna asked the man what he was suggesting and, before slipping away, he advised that she should take a look at both embassies.

            Eyebrow raised, she turned and looked at Jolee, who sighed.  "I don't think we can just ignore this—whoever that man may be."

            "Well, we can hardly go knocking on the Sith embassy door and ask for their help," Carth said.

            "Then maybe we can find something at the Republic embassy.  We need to go there anyway," Brinna stated.

            As they made their way to the embassy, Brinna realized just how vast Ahto city was.  If this city wasn't a shrine to commerce, she wasn't really sure what was.  The Selkath obviously did not need the city as they made their homes in the sea.  It had been constructed entirely for off-worlders, providing them with shops and entertainment and lodging as they came to the planet to conduct their business.  It was almost unbelievable that a single resource could result in such vast wealth but well did Brinna know the value of a med pack in a time of extreme need.

            They met Roland Wann at the Republic embassy and while he offered to help Brinna with her search for the Star Map, his help did not come without a price.  He wanted her to break into the Sith base to find a submersible droid that the Republic had constructed and that the Sith had managed to obtain.  It seemed the Republic had found some sympathetic Selkath who were willing to violate the terms of the treaty and provide the Republic with additional kolto.  The droid had been built to survey the seafloor to find suitable supplies.  If the Sith were able to obtain this information from the droid, there would be dire consequences for the Republic.

            Brinna was surprised but, at the same time, she understood just how desperate the situation was.  Still, to risk being cut off altogether from the sole source of kolto seemed to her a rather foolish risk and she wasn't shy about letting him know that she disapproved. 

            Wann gave her three options for breaking into the Sith base and Brinna sighed unhappily.  She didn't see what other choice she really had for Wann had the information she needed.  Still, he was asking her to take a huge risk because if the Selkath found out that she had illegally entered the Sith base, the entire mission could be ruined.  She wanted to take the man and shake some sense into him but she reminded herself that he didn't understand the importance of her mission and hadn't acted solely to inconvenience her.

            Her frustration with Wann helped to alleviate the guilt she couldn't help but feel as she went into the embassy computer room under the pretense of trying to decode a passcard that would allow her Sith embassy access.  In truth, she had no intention of attempting to enter the base using this method.  What she really wanted was to have a look at the Republic computers to see if she could find something about Sunry and, sure enough, she did.

            Horrified, she watched the recording that clearly showed Sunry assassinating a sleeping Elassa.  Jolee made a noise that was painful to hear and she could also see that Carth was shocked. 

            Setting her jaw, Brinna turned to her companions.  "Come on.  I want another word with Elora and Sunry."

            Anger drove her to move so hurriedly that her companions had trouble keeping up with her.  She couldn't believe how stupid the members of the Republic on Manaan seemed to be.  On one side, she had the embassy violating the terms of the treaty and, on the other, she had a former war hero murdering a dark Jedi in cold blood.  If they were looking to impress their unblemished character upon the Selkath, their methods struck her as passing strange.

            Further questioning of Elora proved that she knew full well of her husband's affair, though it didn't seem that she necessarily knew of his claims that he was trying to make a double agent of Elassa.  Elora insisted that Sunry had told her he was going to break the relationship off and that her husband couldn't have killed Elassa.  Brinna couldn't help but feel sympathy for the woman.  As if Sunry's betrayal wasn't bad enough, Elora now had to deal with the reality of him being on trial for the murder of his mistress.  She wondered if perhaps she should show Elora the recording but she didn't have the heart to do so, even though she cursed her own cowardice.

            Though Sunry was quick to confess to the affair, he continued to maintain his innocence until Brinna presented him with the proof of the recording.  Finally, he broke down and admitted that when he discovered that Elassa was a Sith spy he killed her in her sleep.  The Sith had rigged illegal cameras to record Sunry's encounters with Elassa and Republic spies had attempted to resolve this problem by altering the recording.  When the Sith discovered this, they paid Gluupor to plant Sunry's medal on Elassa's body.  Sunry speculated that Elassa must have stolen it from him during one of their previous encounters.

            While Brinna could feel for Sunry because of the hurt and humiliation he must have experienced when he had discovered Elassa's treachery, she felt firmly that his actions were just plain wrong and she urged him to confess.

            "You think I'm some kind of monster, don't you?  All I did was kill a Sith!  How many Sith have you killed?  Dozens?  Hundreds?  Thousands?" Sunry protested, his voice rising.

            "That's different, Sunry, and you know it," Jolee said vehemently.  "We don't kill them in cold blood while they sleep."

            "I don't see how the two of us are any different," insisted Sunry.  "She was a spy!  She was using me to get information so Malak's army could destroy the Republic!  She deserved to die!"

            Mustering her patience, Brinna urged him once again to confess, in the hopes that the courts might show him some mercy and, once again, Sunry refused. 

            "If you turn me in, the Republic will likely lose its kolto export privileges and then we'll lose the war for sure.  Are you going to send all those thousands, millions—like on Taris—to their deaths, just for your sense of 'justice'?"

            His words cut to the quick, especially because he could have no knowledge of just how right he was.  Not only had the Tarisians died because of the presence of her and Bastila, she herself had once been the one to slaughter millions—seemingly without a second thought.  She also agreed with his fears that the Selkath might sanction the Republic.

            _So you should just let him get away with it?  Don't you think he's just trying to justify his actions to himself here?  What point is there in you claiming to be redeemed if you're going to let something like this just slip by?_

"Sunry…this is wrong, and you know it," Jolee said and Brinna could hear the pain in his voice.  "I am a Jedi…what is it that you expect me to do to defend your actions?"

            His words helped Brinna find the courage to make a difficult decision.  While Jolee said his goodbyes to his friend, Brinna did her best to prepare herself mentally for what she was about to do.  She went to the warden and told him that she was ready to begin the trial.  Sunry shot a pleading gaze her way and Brinna found that it was difficult to maintain her resolve.

            Once inside the courts, her knees were shaking as she faced the judges.  As soon as they started the trial, Brinna informed them of the evidence she had discovered and turned it over to them.  The judges conferred briefly and then quickly sentenced Sunry to death.

            "I…I don't believe this.  Sunry should be remembered as a hero, not as a murderer.  This isn't right," Carth said.

            The sounds of Elora's disbelieving protest and sobs drove Brinna from the courtroom and she sagged against its outer walls, dropping her head into her hands.  She knew Jolee and Carth were there but neither said anything and she took a moment to compose herself before she stood up straight again.

            "So what do you think of Sunry's verdict?" Brinna asked, her voice shaking.  She remembered what he had said to his friend and thought that he probably did not hold her accountable for Sunry's death, but she needed to know for certain.

            "You did what was necessary," Jolee told her, and she once more felt her body sagging, but this time in relief.  "Sunry was guilty, as sad as that fact makes me, justice had to be done.  Doesn't matter that his victim was a Sith or that he was once a hero.  I only wish that my old friend hadn't done it.  But that's the thing about wishes.  They don't come true and now Sunry's dead, which is a shame.  He was a good man you know…once.  Bah.  I don't want to talk about this anymore.  My jaw aches."

            They were silent as they made their way back to the Ebon Hawk and Brinna found herself walking a bit more slowly than her companions.  In some ways, she dreaded returning to the ship.  While it was certainly nice to be surrounded by those who cared about her and supported her, there were also many lonely hours on the ship, hours during which she had far too much time to think about things about which she would rather not think.  Though the pain of the truth she had recently learned had not lessened, while on Manaan she had been so busy that she'd had little time to think about her regrets and sorrows, her fears.

            Jolee hurried onto the ship but, to her surprise, Carth lagged behind a bit.  She felt her heart jump a bit in hope but it seemed the last thing he had on his mind was closing the distance between them.

            "Why did you do it?" he asked, rounding on her and speaking with such vehemence that she found herself taking a step back from him.  She really couldn't remember him ever having spoken to her like that and, at first, she felt her face crumple and tears prickle at the corners of her eyes.

            _No, no way!  You are not going to allow him to do this!  He has no right.  Who does he think he is?  It's good enough for him to make you all kinds of promises but the moment he's put to the test he abandons you and you're just going to stand for it?_

She could feel her anger swell but there was something different about it this time.  Though anger did allow the dark side more of a foothold within her, she found that this anger felt different, that this anger didn't frighten her quite as much.  Brinna had a bad habit of holding her feelings inside, of not saying what she really felt.  Perhaps this was a side effect of the Jedi's reprogramming of her mind but there was also a good chance that she had always been this way, that her habit of repressing had allowed her anger and frustrations to build until they had burst out of her and she had embraced the darkness that accompanied them.

            "I did it because he's a murderer!" she hissed at him, her voice as cold as ice.  "And you know it!"

            "He's a war hero!" Carth cried.

            "Oh, so that makes it okay for him to kill someone in cold blood?  That makes it okay for him to pick up a blaster and fire it at a defenseless woman while she sleeps?  That makes it okay for him to act on his anger, does it?"  She found that she was shouting at him and she was glad of it.  Though she grieved for the chaos that Revan had wrought in his in his life, she was angry for the way he had betrayed Brinna.  Perhaps he couldn't currently see the distinction between the two but she would make him understand if it was the last thing she did.

            "She was a Sith spy!" he yelled back at her, the volume of his voice now matching her own.  "She would have killed countless people!"

            "So human life only has value to you if someone has the same beliefs you have?  I find it ironic how you can turn your back on me for what Revan did and yet you have no problem with what Sunry did!"

            "Don't you dare compare Sunry to Revan—to you!  Sunry saved just as many lives as you took!"  
            "I'm not Revan!  Can't you see that?  Revan is dead!  Whoever she was, whatever she was, she died on that ship when Malak fired on her and Bastila used the Force to save her body.  Don't you understand that everything that made Revan who she was: her mind, her mentality, her beliefs, her cruelty, that all of that died when she was attacked?  What the Jedi took away from that ship was a shell and what they did was fill it!"

            Carth's face went white and he stared at her.  "Are you trying to say it doesn't matter anymore, that Revan's crimes should just be forgotten?"

            "No, I'm not!" she shouted at him.  She could feel angry tears falling but she did nothing to stop them; she wasn't ashamed.  "What I'm saying is that the Jedi played Creator.  They gave birth to Brinna Warrim but she didn't start out as an infant!  Instead, they planted her into the body of Revan.  Do you have any idea what that's like?  Do you have any concept of how it feels to believe—no to know—yourself to be one thing and then find out that everything you remember, everything from your past, every person about whom you ever cared is nothing more than a work of fiction?  Do you understand that I'm no one!  My father never existed, my mother never existed, Amara never existed!"

            If it was possible, Carth had gone even paler and he was staring at her with a mix of emotions that she could not read.  But now that she'd opened the dam, she could not stem the flow of the water and the words continued to pour out of her.

            "I don't exist!" she cried, smacking her hand against her chest.  As she did so, she felt the stone on the necklace that she had believed someone named Amara had made.  She wondered what had possessed the Jedi to give her that necklace, what it was that had motivated them to create such a wondrous work of fiction about it.  A mixture of anger and agony washed over her and she tore the necklace from her throat and threw it across the hangar.  "It's all a lie!  My whole life is a lie—except for those few bits where I can remember that terrible, evil person named Revan.  You tell me, is it fair that Brinna Warrim has no memories of her own, that her only memories are of Revan searching for the Star Forge as she attempted to continue her campaign of murder and devastation across the galaxy?"

            "Brinna…" Carth said weakly, looking to where she had thrown her necklace.

            "Oh, now you'll call me Brinna," she said, the fight beginning to rush out of her.  She was back to where she'd been such a short time ago, back to feeling as though she was powerless in the face of such sorrow.  "You refuse to judge Sunry but you don't have any problems judging me.  A war hero who knowingly slaughters a sleeping woman is okay with you but a Jedi who is doing her best to save the galaxy and who finds out that she now inhabits the body of someone who once murdered millions isn't okay with you. 

            "No, Carth, I'm not trying to excuse Revan.  That's something I would never do.  In fact, I hate Revan more than you could possibly imagine.  But, unlike you, I have to live with the fact that Revan once inhabited this body.  I have to live with the fact that everyone will look at me as a monster, even though I have no recollection of the actions that made me monstrous.  I have to live with the knowledge that I have been reborn but the millions that I killed lie in their graves.  Revan can no longer accept responsibility for the things she did but I can and I do.  I'm risking my life in an attempt to do whatever I can to set things right but I know that no matter what I do, I can never even come close to atoning for what Revan did."

            Weeping openly now, Brinna turned on her heel and fled into the ship, wanting to get away from Carth as quickly as possible, unable to survive yet another heartbreak.


	32. Unmasking the Enemy

            Brinna felt like hell the next morning.  She'd barely slept due to both her fight with Carth and her continued agonizing over Revan.  She had spent so much time alternating between tears of rage and tears of sorrow that she felt thoroughly dehydrated and her eyes were so swollen and irritated that they felt worse than they had when the winds of Tatooine had filled them with grains of sand.

            "Are you okay?" Mission asked her gently, as she seated herself at the foot of Brinna's bunk.

            Pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes in an attempt to soothe the burning ache, Brinna shook her head.  "Not really," she said, her voice muffled due to nasal congestion caused by her tears.

            "You can't keep doing this to yourself," Mission told her, reaching out and prying Brinna's right hand from her eye.  Mission held it gently between her own hands.

            "I feel like my brain and my body are two separate entities.  I feel like I deserve unimaginable punishment for being Revan but yet I don't remember anything about Revan, other than some pieces of memory tied to Revan's finding each Star Map.  It's like there's still a small part of me protesting against all of this, still insisting that she can't possibly be Revan."

            "You aren't Revan," Mission said firmly.  "None of the things you've done have been anything like what Revan did.  You have hardly any of Revan's memories.  I'm as much Revan as you are."

            "That's not true, Mission.  That's not true at all.  I can't just refuse to acknowledge my part in all this," Brinna said wearily, letting her left hand fall from her eye to her side.

            "But you aren't refusing to acknowledge anything," Mission argued.  "You want to atone for what Revan did, even though you aren't Revan.  You're risking everything to save the Republic and defeat the Sith.  Brinna, what more can you expect of yourself?"

            "I just…" she began, her voice faltering.  "I just wish it wasn't true."  Her voice was so small that it was barely audible and she felt like a silly child for even expressing such a fruitless wish.

            "I know," Mission said, squeezing her hand.  "I wish it wasn't true too, for your sake.  For my part, though, it's meaningless.  You are Brinna and Brinna was never Revan."

            "Thank you," Brinna said.  Mission's kindness had brought a lump to her throat and she swallowed convulsively as she held onto the Twi'lek's hand for dear life.  "I don't know what I'd do without you."

            "The feeling is mutual."

            Brinna reached across the bed and gave Mission a fierce hug.  She pushed her covers aside, got out of her bunk, and began dressing.

            "This thing with Carth…it's really not your fault," Mission told her, her voice hesitant. 

            "It's really not his either," Brinna said, tiredly. 

            There was a momentary silence while Brinna continued to get dressed and then Mission said, "Maybe it's not really my place to say this but he's not taking any of this well.  He was really a mess last night."

            Her spine stiffening, Brinna turned to look at Mission.  "He's not…"

            Correctly interpreting the look on Brinna's face, Mission rushed to add, "He's okay.  It's just that he was really upset about what happened last night.  I don't want you to think that any of us were eavesdropping or anything but, well…the loading bay was open and we could hear you shouting at each other but we couldn't hear what you were saying."

            "It was awful," Brinna acknowledged.

            "You'll get through this okay, I know you will," Mission told her.  "From the minute I met you two I knew there was something there.  You just seem so right together."

            "I wish Carth felt that way," Brinna said, feeling tears rise once more.

            Mission looked as though she were at a loss for words as Brinna left the bunkroom.  As she made her way toward the common area, she ran into Jolee.

            "You look a mess," he told her.  "Damn foolish youth.  You two remind me of a couple I knew once.  Just like you and Carth, the two of them combined had less sense than a tach."

            "Please, Jolee, not a story, not right now," she responded wearily.

            The old Jedi's face softened.  "Love is never easy," he told her.

            And to her amazement, he proceeded to tell her about his wife.  It was such a sad story and yet he still spoke of love in such a way that told her that he believed it was worth it.

            "I've never stopped…I still want…" Brinna said, fumbling with her own words.

            "You two are harder on each other than you should be.  And you're harder on yourselves."  
            "I was just so angry with him.  I didn't want to fight with him but, in a way, I'm glad I did.  I just want to try to make him understand what this is like for me."

            "Just as long as you understand what it's like for him.  He doesn't have it easy either, you know."

            "I know.  Maybe that's part of it.  Maybe I'm so afraid of how hard he has it that…that I'm afraid he'll slip away forever," she said, her voice quavering. 

            "Who knows what the future holds," Jolee told her.  "I can only say that I wish for the best for you, my dear."

            "Thank you, Jolee," she said, taking his hand and pressing it.  "I wish Carth and I both had more time to process all of this but we still have so much to do and less and less time in which to do it.  Will you come with me again today?"

            "Of course," he said, patting her hand consolingly.

            Her stomach churning, Brinna went in search of Carth.  She found him staring vacantly at the controls in the cockpit. 

            "Do you want to come with me and Jolee?" she asked him, finding it hard to speak around the painful lump in her throat.

            As he looked at her, she could see that he was experiencing every bit as much turmoil as she was.  "Yes," he said, simply.

            "I…I want you to know that I'm aware this isn't easy for you.  I'm sorry I upset you last night but I'm not sorry for trying to make you understand me."

            "I just…I just need some time," he said.

            She nodded, trying hard to control her trembling lower lip.  "Let's go."

            As she turned away from him, she hastily dashed away the tears that were threatening to spill over.  Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she continued on to the loading bay, where she found Jolee waiting for the two of them.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the old Jedi exchange a look with Carth but she couldn't say exactly what was going on between the two of them.  Really, it was none of her business anyway.  If Carth had found someone with whom he felt comfortable in confiding, she was happy for him.  Force knew he needed it every bit as much as she did.

            They went directly from their own hangar to that of the Sith.  As they passed through the first set of doors, a recording of a Selkath voice informed them that they were leaving Ahto city and the surveillance zone.

            "Well thank goodness for that," Brinna said.  "I really don't want any trouble with the Selkath authorities and, somehow, I'm thinking they probably wouldn't approve of what we're about to do."

            "We're doing them a favor," Carth said bluntly.  "Just because they don't want to take care of the problem doesn't mean everyone feels that way."

            "Good thing I'm in the mood for a Sith sandwich," Jolee said, causing Brinna to smile in spit of herself.  She looked at him and shook her head and then tripped the switch for the door.

            Predictably, the Sith were less than pleased to see them in the hangar and they were attacked immediately.  They had a dark Jedi with them but Brinna was pleased to find that he must have been an apprentice for he wasn't very strong in the Force and, therefore, not very difficult to subdue.  It only took them a few minutes to take care of their opposition.

            _All this killing…_  Brinna thought, eyeing the bodies of the Sith.  _I'm so tired of it, so tired of it all.  After this is all over, I just want…_

            But she wasn't really sure what it was she wanted.  She had some idea but wanting didn't mean having.  Despondently, she wondered if she was becoming like Carth had been, pre-Saul.  Was she now at the point where it didn't matter to her if she made it?  Had she become incapable of imagining a future beyond rescuing Bastila and defeating Malak?

            The speeder ride across the ocean to the Sith base was quickly over.  To everyone's relief, their entry seemed to go unnoticed and they had the element of surprise in their favor as they began to move through the rooms in the base.  As soon as they found a computer, Brinna sliced into it and used the security cameras to locate the room in which the droid was being held.

            "There it is," she told her companions and they moved over to the monitor to see.  Fortunately, the room was rather lightly guarded and it appeared that recovery wouldn't be too much of a problem.

            They made their way swiftly through the base, dispatching any Sith who got in their way.  Despite her struggle with the dark side, Brinna was finding that she was quickly becoming more and more in tune with the Force.  Her ability to channel the light side seemed to be increasing by leaps and bounds and she found that she was able to use her abilities to destroy droids and freeze her opponents in stasis with greater and greater ease.

            "Swirling Force, remember?" Jolee murmured to her at one point, as Carth searched a footlocker on the other side of the room.

            Brinna shook her head.  "I don't understand this," she told him.  "I've never felt so conflicted and yet I can feel myself becoming one with the light side of the Force.  It doesn't make the darkness any easier to bear but still there's this peace…"

            "Remember what I told you?  I don't buy the Jedi claims that passion is a bad thing.  What matters is what you're passionate about and how you channel that passion," Jolee told her.

            His words made sense and she found herself nodding thoughtfully.  "More than anything else right now, I want to find Bastila and stop Malak."

            "Sounds to me like your heart is in the right place."

            She was thoughtful as they continued on their way.  Perhaps Jolee was right, perhaps passion didn't have to be a bad thing after all.  She was finally coming to understand that the struggle against the dark side would be a lifelong one.  Carth had told her that he used to think the dark side was just a fancy term for normal greed and cruelty and avarice but that he was beginning to feel that it was different for the Jedi.  In some ways he was right but, in others, the Jedi were just like anyone else.  Now that she knew what she had always been, she couldn't say what it was like for someone who was not Force sensitive but she knew that, as a Jedi, there was a dark force that was always lurking there, waiting for her to slip up.  Yet as Jolee had said, passion didn't always lead down the path to the dark side and so she was beginning to think that in some ways the Jedi weren't any different from anyone else.  What mattered, in the end, were one's choices, one's actions.  When she used her passion in her quest to follow the light side of the Force, she found a strength and serenity she had never come close to feeling when she had tried to deny her emotions altogether.  The Jedi Masters were wise, she couldn't deny that, but she was beginning to wonder if it was their simple fear of emotion that drove them to try to be so dispassionate.

            _I know now that I will always have to be diligent, that I will always have to be on my guard against the dark side.  But I'm beginning to think that it doesn't mean that I can't feel, that I must go through my life without friendship or love…_

That last thought made her feel wistful, for she fervently hoped it would come true.  She had her friends, of that she was now assured, but without her love where would she be?  Almost against her will, her gaze turned to Carth and her heart hurt.  If she survived her encounter with Malak, if she was able to stop him, she didn't want to think of a life without Carth.  It would be desperately lonely, terribly empty.

            The droid recovery wasn't much of a problem, fortunately.  As soon as they had it in hand, Carth wanted to leave the base.

            "No," Brinna said to him.  "There are still more rooms we haven't investigated and I promised Shaelas I would try to find out what the Sith are doing with the Selkath youth.  There has to be something here."

            Carth didn't look entirely happy and she knew he was longing to just hurry up and find the Star Map so that they could finally find the Star Forge.  "You're right," he said at last.  "We can't just forget about our promise.  And maybe if we can prove that the Sith are corrupting the Selkath youth, we might be able to give the Republic better standing."

            He had hardly finished speaking before Brinna was racing through the base once more.  In some ways, Shaelas's situation reminded Brinna of Carth's; one more family torn apart by the Sith, one more impressionable youth turning to their lies and empty promises.

            It wasn't long before they found the proof for which they'd been searching.  As they made their way into a medical bay, they found a trio of Selkath lying on the floor, dying.  The stench in the room was overpowering and the evidence of torture that the youth bore was difficult to witness.  Brinna turned her head aside with a gasp of horror and found that Jolee and Carth also looked horrified.  That a hardened old Jedi and a veteran war hero could find the scene as terrible as she did was quite telling.

            Her hands trembling, Brinna knelt next to one of the victims and as soon as he saw her, he offered Brinna a token and pled, "Tell…tell Shasa…the Sith…"

            As the Selkath breathed his last, Brinna gently took the token and clasped it in her palm, feeling the hard edge of it bite into her skin.  Wordlessly, she led her companions from the room and headed down the corridor to the next room she could find.

            Within it were a dark Jedi and his Selkath apprentices.  The apprentices begged to be able to attack Brinna and her companions.  The fight was short but vicious.  Though the Selkath youth were no real match for them and quickly succumbed to Brinna's Force Stasis, the dark Jedi was considerably stronger and offered a stronger opposition.  When it was over, Brinna stood panting heavily while Jolee healed their wounds.

            The room adjoining that in which they had battled proved to be the room of the master and a quick search of his things turned up a datapad that detailed the Sith's plans for Manaan.

            "They wanted to use the young to help them overthrow the government.  They would train and corrupt their apprentices and then install them in the government and create a puppet regime," Brinna told her companions, as she skimmed the datapad's contents.

            "If this doesn't prove to the Selkath what the Sith are up to, I don't know what will," Carth said grimly.

            Their search for Shasa ended as they entered the next room.  They found the young Selkath with a few other companions and the youth expressed confusion over the entrance of Brinna and her companions.  They thought it might be a test designed by their Sith masters and they decided that they should handle the intruders on their own.  Unwilling to hurt them, Brinna quickly began to talk in order to prevent an attack.  The Selkath seemed to believe that the Sith were teaching them about the Force out of pure generosity.  When Brinna told them they were being brainwashed, they insisted that the Sith would respect their independence after the war and they refused to listen to her when she told them that the Sith only wanted their kolto.

            "I found a young Selkath dying from torture.  He gave me this…" Brinna told them, holding out the token.

            "Shasa—this is the pin I gave the Galas when we were children.  There is blood on it," one of the Selkath said.

            "You could have found this anywhere!" Shasa insisted.  "For all we know, you killed Galas!"

            "The Sith tortured him to death, Shasa.  You know it's true," Brinna said, as gently as she could.

            "Shasa—I believe them," her companion said.  "How else would they have found this pin?"

            "I…I didn't want to believe it, but I can no longer deny what I know to be true.  Galas is dead and the Sith are responsible.  I must apologize for doubting you.  The Sith are truly evil as you have claimed," Shasa told them.

            "We must report this to the Ahto city authorities!" her companion said.

            "Yes, we must report this at once.  We thank you, human, for showing us the truth.  You have saved us from a terrible mistake," Shasa replied.

            "Just be careful with those gifts you've already learned," Jolee cautioned.  "Beware the dark side…or you may end up betraying your world regardless."

            "Quickly, my friends—we can stay here no longer," Shasa said urgently.  "We must flee this foul embassy and warn our people against the plot to corrupt the Manaan youth."

            It didn't take long to finish clearing the base after this and Brinna wasn't interested in lingering.  She led the way swiftly to the elevator that would carry them back up to the city.  When the doors opened, she wasn't too surprised to see that the Selkath were waiting to arrest her and she went with them peacefully, though Carth and Jolee protested.

            "It will be okay," she promised them.  She thanked her lucky stars that they had found the datapad with the evidence of the Sith's perfidy.  Surely even a people as deluded as the Selkath could not dispute with her when faced with such evidence.

            Suppressing a shudder as they led her into the jail, Brinna went quietly to a cage and was glad to find that it wasn't the same in which Sunry had been held.  Much to her relief, it wasn't long before her arbiter entered the room.  She had spent the time eyeing Sunry's cage uneasily.  After asking her a few perfunctory questions, he announced that he was ready to begin the trial.  Brinna stared at him incredulously.  He had made a few offhand remarks that led her to believe he wouldn't exactly look out for her best interests and she insisted on representing herself, though her would-be arbiter more or less scoffed at her.

            Carth and Jolee were standing in the court when she arrived and she felt a rush of relief at seeing them.  She had worried that they too might have been arrested and she was glad this was not the case.  Standing patiently as the judges carried out the formalities, she quickly handed over the datapad the moment they began the trial.  They retired to deliberate but it wasn't long before they returned and declared her free.  She was released and made her way out of the courtroom as quickly as possible.

            "I didn't appreciate that delay," she told Carth and Jolee.  The shadows were beginning to lengthen and quick check of her chrono confirmed that there weren't many daylight hours left.  "Let's get over to the Republic base.  I want to get to that Star Map today."

            She noticed Carth fumbling with his collar but he stopped as soon as he saw her looking at him.  "We were worried the Selkath would hold you indefinitely," he told her.

            "The best way to get off this planet is to cooperate with them," she said.  "If it means going through the formality of a trial, so be it.  I won't argue with them.  I think we've seen ample proof of just how seriously they take all their laws and regulations."

            "I'm glad you were able to show them some proof of the Sith's lies to them, my dear," Jolee told her.

            "So am I, though if they'd only opened their eyes and looked closely, they likely could have found proof enough themselves."

Their trip to the Republic embassy provided them with an answer to the question of why so many mercs were being hired.  It seemed the Republic had violated the treaty by building a base under the ocean, with some help from their sympathetic Selkath friends.  The base was highly secret, of course, and only some of the members of the government knew about it.  The droid had contained information about the secret base and, needless to say, if the Sith had had the time to review this information, the results would have been disastrous for the Republic.  Contact with the base had been lost and the embassy was afraid something terrible had occurred down there.  They had sent some soldiers to investigate but none had returned and, rather than risk more soldiers, they had begun hiring mercenaries to investigate.  The problem was that none of the mercs had returned either.

            Brinna was incensed that the Republic would run such a risk.  Had the Sith successfully uncovered it, the Republic would have been banned from the planet and their supply of kolto would have ceased entirely.  Their desperation had led them to nearly pave the way for a Sith invasion of Manaan and she was relieved that she and her companions had arrived in time to prevent this from happening.  She would have liked to really give Roland Wann a piece of her mind but there wasn't much time.  He informed her that some ruins had been found near the base and though going under the sea was about the last thing she wanted to do, Brinna knew it was necessary.  Her dream had shown her that the Star Map was underwater and she had little doubt that the ruins that had been uncovered were, in fact, Star Map remains.  She agreed to go down to the station to investigate why they had lost contact.

            The trip down to the base was like something out of a nightmare.  Giant sharks swam around in large numbers and Brinna found her teeth chattering, the sight made her shudder with such force.  Jolee and Carth didn't seem too pleased either and they maintained a grim silence as the submersible brought them closer and closer to the unknown.

            As they emerged from the submersible, they found a chaotic scene before them.  The inside of the bay had been damaged structurally and there were bodies strewn here and there.  Tightening her grip on her lightsabres, Brinna opened the first door and they were immediately accosted by a mercenary.

            "How…how did you get in?  Did they send another submersible?  Quick, we have to get out of here, we have to get away!" he said, seizing her shoulder and nearly dragging her back to the bay.

            "Why?  What happened?" Brinna asked, breaking free of him.

            "No!  No!  We have no time, we have to leave now!  I managed to close the door after they killed everyone else but I don't know how long it will hold."

            "What happened here?"

            "The Selkath went crazy!  They started killing anything that moved.  Someone must have triggered the defense systems too, 'cause all the droids activated as well.  I was one of the mercs the Republic sent down here to find out what happened.  We came down and secured the first couple rooms…there were bodies everywhere…And the Selkath came out…screaming and croaking their fishy little war-cries," he explained, hysteria mounting in his voice.

            "What happened to the scientist?" Brinna asked, holding his shoulder to prevent him from running away.  He was so agitated and so intent on getting away that it was almost impossible to hold him back.

            "They're dead!  All dead!  They swarmed all over us.  There was no way we could stop them.  So we ran…But hardly any of us made it.  I locked the door behinds us, but…but the others had already left in the submersible!  The sharks…the firaxa out there and…worse…I heard an explosion shortly after the submersible left.  They didn't make it.  Just food for the sharks and the Selkath, like us."

            Brinna couldn't suppress a shudder but she did her best to maintain her resolve.  "I have to get into the station," she stated flatly.

            Though the mercenary argued, Brinna remained firm and he finally relented and said that he would wait for them.  She wouldn't have minded an extra pair of hands but the mercenary was so terrified that she knew he wouldn't do them any good anyway.

            "What are we getting ourselves into?" Carth asked, an edge to his voice.

            "I don't like the sound of this," Jolee added.

            "We have no choice," Brinna told them.  "I know the Star Map is down here; it was underwater in my dream…memory.  We have to get to it.  Let's just get this over with as quickly as possible.  I don't like being under all this water.  It makes my skin crawl."

            She could feel the anxiety of her companions as they set out and they soon found that the situation was every bit as bad as the mercenary had warned.  They were constantly beset by crazed Selkath who seemed bent on killing everything.  At times, they even came upon groups of Selkath fighting one another.  The bodies of Republic soldiers and scientists were strewn about and all of the droids in the base attacked Brinna and her companions but not the Selkath.  In one of the rooms, they found a man hiding in a locker but he was so petrified that he refused to exit, no matter how Brinna coaxed and wheedled.  Though she hated to do it, she was forced to leave the man behind.

            During their search through the base, they had uncovered a couple of sonic emitters and a datapad explaining that they were to be used against the firaxa.  Though they had uncovered two emitters, they had only found one envirosuit, despite a thorough scouring of the base.

            "What do you think you're doing?" Jolee demanded as she stood in front of an airlock door and began to dress herself in the suit.

            "I have to get to the underwater section," she said, working as quickly as she could with shaking fingers.  The thought of being out in the water, unprotected, with the firaxa swarming about her was enough to make her feel so faint that the edges of her vision went black.  Still, there was no other way to get to the Star Map.  She would simply have to put aside her terror and go out for it.

            "You can't go out there alone!" Carth said.

            The fear in his voice stilled her fingers and she felt her whole body go cold as she looked at him.  He looked every bit as afraid as she felt.  "I have to," she told him, her voice shaking.  She thrust the suit's helmet on her head before they could protest any further and rushed into the airlock.

            Once out in the water, she was shaking so badly that it cost her a great deal of physical effort to even make her feet move.  She was powerless to stop the chattering of her teeth and she had to will her hands to remain steady.  They constantly strayed to the emitters attached to the outside of her suit, as if she was afraid that they would simply vanish.  The sight of the firaxa from inside the station had been scary but it was nothing to the sight of them swimming toward her as she was exposed and vulnerable.  Fortunately, the emitters worked well enough that the sharks didn't have to get too close to her before she could use them, but that didn't make the terror any less.

            She ran into another mercenary when she made it to the underwater section of the station.  He, too, was nearly frantic—not that she could blame him.  Still, though the insane Selkath had been frightening, she was not certain she would have traded them for the sharks.  Moving as quickly as she could, she followed the merc.  As soon as he stepped back out into the open ocean, he stupidly turned and urged her to hurry and, at that moment, a firaxa swooped down and carried him off in its huge jaws.  His screams echoed hers as he was carried off and Brinna found herself nearly weeping with terror.  She took deep breath after deep breath in an effort to steady herself but to little avail.  After a few moments, she forced herself to move and the forced slowness of the travel due to the pressure of the water and the bulkiness of the suit was nearly enough to drive her insane as well.  She almost sobbed with relief when she finally saw an airlock door before her.

            Once through and inside the station, she flung the suit from her and did her best not to think about how she would need to put it back on so that she could go after the Star Map and then return to her companions.  Still, she was flooded with relief when the suit was gone, though the relief was to be short lived.  As soon as she stepped into the hallway, she saw a force field before her, behind which were two scientists.  The moment they caught sight of her, they began screaming and started depressurizing the chamber in which she stood.  A crushing weight seemed to be descending upon her chest and it was all she could do to draw breath.

            Clawing at her collar, Brinna managed to gasp out to them that she was with the Republic.  The terrified scientists were reluctant to believe her but she finally convinced them to stop depressurizing the chamber.  As soon as the pressure returned to normal levels, she bent double at the waist and drew in great breaths of air.  The scientists apologized profusely and though Brinna understood that they were terrified, she still had to reign in her temper at their having nearly killed her.

            "Why did the Selkath all go crazy?" she asked them, when she was able to get a word in edgewise.

            "We don't know!  Not for sure…" the scientist named Sami told her.

            "The work teams were outside in the Rift near the vent," Kono Nolan told her.  "Then there was this rumbling and my head felt like it was splitting open…"

            "This…this monster rose up from the Rift…" Sami continued.

            "It was a firaxa shark I think…bigger than any I'd ever seen before.  Bigger than our submersibles," Nolan added.  
            "It was like it was screaming inside my head…" Sami said.

            "Then the Selkath started screaming too…and they turned on us," Nolan told her.

            The scientists continued to speak rapidly and Brinna found it rather hard to follow their conversation.  From what she could gather, the scientists conjectured that the giant firaxa may have been protecting some ruins near the vent.  Her sense of horror increasing, Brinna realized this meant that she would have to encounter the creature in order to get to the Star Map.  Oblivious to her distress, the scientists continued on to speculate that the shark may have been feeding off the kolto and that the other, smaller sharks may be its offspring and that they may have become so vicious in order to defend their mother. 

            When she finally managed to break into the conversation, Brinna asked them what she could do to get past the shark.  Nolan wanted her to vent a compound through the harvester but Sami argued that they didn't know what it would do and posited that it might pollute the entire ocean and destroy the kolto supply.  However, Nolan was insistent that this was the only way and it was only by asking repeatedly that Brinna was finally able to get Sami to tell her that she could destroy the harvester.  Much to Nolan's displeasure, Sami told Brinna how this could be done.  Nolan was angry at this and said that the destruction would set their plans back years.  Brinna fought back the urge to tell him how little she cared about setting them back and simply told them that she intended to destroy the harvester.  Sami was relieved by this but it only made Kono Nolan even angrier—not that Brinna cared.  She had a sneaking suspicion of what awaited her on her return to the surface and she didn't think the Selkath would take too kindly to her poisoning their oceans and, regardless, she certainly wasn't in the mood to single-handedly destroy the planet.

            Donning the suit once more, Brinna made her way to the harvester as rapidly as she could.  She was nearly panicking as she worked frantically to destroy the harvester.  With every second that passed, she grew more afraid that the giant firaxa would make a meal out of her and so she felt like collapsing when the machine finally exploded.  Knees shaking, she moved out across the bridge that spanned the rift but the giant firaxa was content to float along without causing her any trouble.  The sight of it was like something out of her worst nightmare and Brinna forced herself to look straight ahead.  She was nearly hyperventilating as she reached the Star Map and she looked at the thing as quickly as possible, committing the new information it provided to memory.

            Her slow progress was maddening as she did her best to race back to the section of the base in which Jolee and Carth waited.  As soon as she made it through the airlock door, she tore the suit from her body and then sank to the floor, her trembling knees unable to hold her up any longer.

            "What happened out there?" Carth demanded, but she shook her head fiercely and pulled her datapad from her pack, her hands trembling violently.  She refused to speak to either of them until she had entered the new information into the datapad.

            "It's done.  We have them all now," she said, holding the datapad out to Jolee.  Her voice shook violently and as soon as he took it, she wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head in them.

            "Brinna, what…" Carth began but Jolee must have shushed him for the next thing Brinna knew, he was kneeling next to her.

            "Steady, my dear, steady," he said.  He put his hands on her shoulders and reached out to her via the Force.  She held onto the connection as one might cling to a lifeline and slowly, gradually, she calmed once again.

            "Let's go and I'll tell you about it in the submersible," she told them, as she rose unsteadily to her feet.  "I just want to get out of here.  I just want to get off this planet!"

            Jolee and Carth listened intently to her tale as they made their way back to Ahto city.  Her face must have been as white as a sheet for they didn't even bother to try to hide the concern from their own faces.  They looked incredulous as she told them what had happened.

            Brinna burst from the submersible the minute they surfaced.  The whole time she had been in the submersible, she had suffered from an unshakable sense of pressure, as if the weight of the ocean continued to press down upon her and it was only once she was able to breathe the surface air once more that the feeling subsided.  Roland Wann was waiting for them and he was not pleased by her news.  In fact, he was more concerned about the destruction of the machine than he was about what had become of the scientists and Brinna knew she had to get away from him as soon as possible lest she lash out at him in anger and frustration.

            As expected, the Selkath authorities were waiting for her outside of the embassy.  Once again, she went peacefully and, once again, she opted to defend herself in their court.  She immediately told them about the base and what had happened and they demanded to know if she had killed the giant firaxa.  She assured them that she had destroyed the machine rather than kill the shark and they began to murmur about legends of the Progenitor before one of the other judges silenced his colleagues.  He hissed to them that this was not for outsiders to hear.  At this point, Brinna frankly didn't care for their legends; she simply wanted them to let her go.  After a short adjournment, the judges released her and she rushed over to her relieved companions.  They immediately set off to see Nilko and Shaelas.

            Nilko was amazed by her story but glad that she had spared the shark.  He promised her that he would do his best to help maintain the reputation of the Republic and then he hurried off to report to his superiors.

            Moving over to Shaelas, Brinna told him about the Sith plot to corrupt his planet's youth.  He was nearly frantic with worry.

            "My daughter, Shasa—she too has been indoctrinated into the Sith camp?" he asked her.

            "I've convinced your daughter to turn her back on the Sith ways," Brinna reassured him.

            "Human, if you speak the truth I am forever in your debt!  And yet my joy is tempered by the knowledge that the Sith still walk freely about Manaan.  Hopefully the testimony of my daughter will be enough proof of their actions, to make the Ahto city authorities take action."

            "I hope so," Brinna said sincerely.

            Shaelas wanted to reward her but Brinna refused and the Selkath soon hurried off to look for his daughter.

            "Hey, kid, that was a good thing you did there.  Almost brought a tear to this old man's eye," Jolee told her as they set off for the Ebon Hawk.  Carth had pulled ahead of them, constantly looking this way and that.  Brinna wondered if he was afraid the Selkath authorities would haul them off.

            "You're getting sentimental in your old age," she told him, but the shakiness in her voice belied her continued anxiety.

            "Must have been terrible for you," Jolee told her.

            She closed her eyes briefly.  "I hate the sea," she declared passionately.  "But I doubt it was a picnic sitting there and waiting for me."

            "Especially with your pilot there wearing a hole in the floor.  I thought he was going to tear the pressure door from the airlock and charge out into the ocean after you, envirosuit or no."

            "Really?" Brinna asked, stopping in her tracks and turning to face him with bald incredulity.

            "Really," he said, stopping as well and looking seriously at her.  "I've never seen a man so consumed with worry."

            Gazing after Carth's back, Brinna felt the tiniest sliver of hope.  Jolee made a noise of disgust.

            "Are you going to go after him or what?" he asked her.

            "Thanks, Jolee," she said, giving the old man a quick kiss on the cheek and hurrying off after Carth.  She couldn't help but smile as she heard him muttering about the folly of youth, mainly because she knew that he was pleased with her show of affection.

            "Carth," she called, as she caught up with him. 

            "Yes?  What's on your mind?" he asked, stopping and turning to look at her.

            "I think it's time we talked about me being Revan, don't you?"

            "If you're ready to talk, then yes…so am I," he told her, his voice giving away nothing.

            "And?" she asked nervously.

            "I can't hate you.  I tried…I wanted to hold you responsible for all the things you've done.  For me…for my wife, for Telos…for Dustil.  But I can't."

            "Why can't you?"

            "I got the revenge I always wanted when Saul died, but it hasn't brought me the peace that I thought it would.  All I can think of now is the promise I made to protect you from what's going to come.  It's given me a reason to look past simple revenge.  Despite whatever part of Revan is inside you, the…the darkness that must surely be there, it isn't who you are.  That's why I can't hate you, why I don't want any more revenge.  You don't have to be Revan, you can be so much more.  Whatever the Jedi did to you, they gave you that chance.  You have this huge destiny waiting for you and I just fear that if you're alone it could swallow you whole.  I mean, is there room in there for me?  Will you let me help you?" he pleaded.

            Her barely restrained emotions caused her voice to waver as she spoke.  "I don't want you hurt protecting me, Carth."

            "I think I would be hurt worse if I didn't try."

            "What do you mean?"  
            "Whatever's happened up until this point, there's going to come a time very soon when you're going to have to make a choice.  And there won't be any turning back.  I want you to make the right choice.  I want to give you a reason to."

            Brinna felt an ache in her chest.  "What sort of reason?"

            "You gave me a future," he told her, his voice growing softer.  He looked at her with an expression that she had feared she would never again see.  "I want to give you a future, too…with me.  I think I could love you, if you give me the chance." 

            "I think I could love you too," Brinna said, feeling almost as if she would burst for joy.  Her words paled in comparison to her feelings but the last thing she wanted was to frighten Carth away, now that she and he seemed to be coming together once more.

            "Well then I'm…I'm glad.  Let's…let's face the future together, then…there's still a lot to do," he said, looking rather overcome.

            Tentatively, she took a step toward him and felt a dizzying wave of relief as he opened his arms to her.  She practically fell into him and she clung to him as if she would fly off into space if she let go.

            "I was so afraid…" she whispered, her tears starting up once again.

            "I'm sorry, Brinna," he murmured, his lips brushing against her hair.  "I feel like I broke my promise to you but I…it's been so confusing and…I just didn't know what to think, what to feel anymore.  Everything I thought I knew was suddenly exactly the opposite of what I thought it to be."

            "I know the feeling," she said.  Her voice was muffled because she had her head buried in his chest.  She breathed in the scent of him and wrapped her arms even more tightly around him.

            "I've been so angry with you and with the Jedi…and with myself.  I didn't know what to do.  My feelings have been so mixed up ever since I lost my wife and Dustil and so much has happened on this mission.  I've known for some time that I was attracted to you but I felt like…like maybe I was betraying my wife in some way.  And then when I found out that you had once been…that you were Revan, I just…"

            "I don't really know what to say to that," she admitted.  "To think that you were betraying your wife…"

            "I don't think that now," he told her, stroking her hair gently.  "But after Morgana was gone and I thought I'd lost Dustil, I didn't think I'd ever care for anyone again.  Then I started thinking about what you said to me once, about how you told me that you doubted my wife would have wanted me to do to myself what I was doing and I knew you were right.  She wouldn't have wanted that.  She would have wanted me to be happy."

            They were silent for a moment, each holding onto the other.  There were so many thoughts whirling through Brinna's head that it was hard to grasp a single one.  Yet, underlying it all was a sense of homecoming.  From the moment she had learned that she had once been Revan, she had felt profoundly lost.  In fact, she admitted to herself, she had felt that way since the very beginning of the mission, when she had thought herself a scout with a dead family.  Now, at last, she felt that this man, this wonderful, frustrating, generous, flawed man had brought her home.  And yet she couldn't just let him off the hook, just like that.  She had to be honest with him, had to let him know how she had felt when he had turned his back on her.

"I have to tell you that I've been angry with you too," she said, pulling away from him slightly so that she could look up at him.  "This is all so unimaginably hard and I know it hasn't been easy for you.  I just…I just want to make you understand that I'm not Revan.  She is really and truly dead and when you turned your back on me, it was like someone stabbed me straight through the heart.  I've needed you so desperately."

            "I don't know what to say about that," he said, his pain evident on his face.  "I don't know how I could have acted any differently.  What would you think, if you were in my place?  Revan and Malak were responsible for so many terrible things and then I learn that the woman I've been attracted to, the woman I've started to fall for, is actually Revan?  What was I supposed to do?"

            "I don't know," Brinna admitted, resting her cheek against his chest once more.  "I didn't know what I was supposed to do either.  In fact, I still don't know what any of us is supposed to do.  I don't know who to blame.  The Jedi put us all in a terrible bind but I can't blame it all on them, either.  What they did…I still need to time to process it.  I know they acted out of desperation, but still…"

            "I think we at least agree about that," he said softly.  "Reprogramming someone?  You were right when you said it was as if they had played creator."

            They fell silent again.  As the moment ticked by, Brinna began to feel some peace and some calm again.  Though she was still hurt by Carth's giving her the cold shoulder, she could understand it.  Perhaps these feelings would never be entirely resolved but surely they could and should forgive one another.  Why should they take what they had found and throw it away?  What good was her transformation from Revan to Brinna Warrim if she could not find it in her heart to forgive; as he had found it in his to trust that she was no longer Revan.

            "Whatever happens, whatever may come, I'm just so glad to know that you're by my side," she told him sincerely.

            He took her face in his hands and tilted it back so that she was looking up at him.  "I won't leave ever again, I promise."

            She closed her eyes as he lowered his head to hers and she felt herself tremble, this time with joy, as his lips brushed softly against hers.  It was a brief, gentle kiss but one that still left her weak in the knees.  She felt such a dizzying rush of joy and love that she found herself clinging to him and he responded by wrapping her securely in his arms.  Closing her eyes tightly, Brinna did her best to hold on to this moment of sweetness, to burn it in her mind.

            "I've been wanting to do that for longer than you can imagine," he told her, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke, sending a delicious tingle through her body.

            "How long, exactly?" she asked, her voice breathy.

            "Ever since you called me a Gamorrean pig-man," he told her and she could feel the rumble of laughter in his chest.

            "You so deserved it," she retorted but she was unable to hold back her own laughter.

            He hugged her tightly as he gave into his own laughter and they laughed long and hard and didn't even hear Jolee approaching.

            "Are you two quite through?" he asked in a sour voice.

            Startled, Brinna turned to look at him and could see that he was trying to hide a smile of his own.  "For now," she said, grinning widely at him.

            "Go on, then.  Get your lazy selves on this ship.  We have work to do," he scolded.

            Hand-in-hand, Brinna and Carth followed him up the ramp and into the Ebon Hawk.


	33. Crash Landing

            "We have all the maps now," Brinna announced to the others, as soon as she, Carth, and Jolee stepped back onto the ship.  She could see Mission smile and Canderous raise his eyebrows at the sight of her hand engulfed in Carth's but she paid them little heed.  "I just need to get the coordinates into the navicomputer and then…"

            "And then you can head to your bunk and get some rest," Jolee interrupted her.

            She opened her mouth to protest but Juhani spoke before she could get a word out.  "Jolee is right.  You must rest for you will need to have all of your faculties about you if you are the rescue Bastila and confront Malak."

            "I suppose you're right," Brinna admitted.  She glanced at Carth and could see he looked every bit as reluctant as she felt.

            "Let's go get those coordinates entered," he said softly and she knew he was hoping for another private word with her.

            They turned and left the common room, hands still linked.  Their companions remained behind and Brinna felt a flash of gratitude toward them.  There was so little time remaining and she was anxious to steal every moment with Carth she possibly could. 

            Brinna quickly entered the coordinates and then Carth pulled her back into his arms.  She rested her cheek against his chest and felt him lean his own cheek against her hair.  Unbidden tears rose to her eyes and, for a moment, she wanted to rage at how unfair it was that they had both finally found a reason to live, just when there was every chance that they might have little life left.

            "I'm afraid for you," Carth said, breaking the silence.

            "Do you think I'm not afraid for you?" she asked, pulling back slightly so that she could look up at him.

            "Yes, but it's not the same," he said, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.  "There will be so much temptation for you and Malak will stop at nothing to see you dead.  What if…what if I…"

            She shook her head and placed her hand over his.  "Don't, Carth.  Don't do that to yourself.  I think we both know that it's a distinct possibility that we won't make it out of this alive and I won't have you tormenting yourself with thoughts like that.  You've done everything in your power to protect me up to this point and I know you'll continue to do so.  I hope you know that I will do everything I can to protect you as well."

            "I know," he told her, lowering his forehead to hers.

            Brinna closed her eyes and allowed herself to bask in his presence for a moment.  He made her feel peaceful, as always, but there was a great deal of turmoil beneath the peace for she was only too aware of all she stood to lose if she wasn't successful.  And though she was committed to following the path of the light, there was still a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, still the fear that maybe she wasn't strong enough, that perhaps she would fall once again.

            "We have to go," he told her and she could hear in his voice the same regret she felt that they did not have more time together.

            Standing on her tiptoes, Brinna took Carth's face in her hands and drew it down to hers.  She could scarcely breathe as the distance between them closed and his lips met hers once more.  Their kiss was lingering and tender but still far too short.  She couldn't get enough of the feeling of his body close to hers, couldn't get enough of the scent of his skin.  Brinna wanted to kiss him forever and ever, to lose herself in the warmth of his brown eyes, to grow old with him, and she was not content to settle for merely hoping that perhaps they would be able to do all those things and more; she wanted assurances she knew she couldn't have.

            When they parted, they stood for one more brief moment with their arms wrapped around one another before Carth took her hands in his and squeezed them.  He let the left one go but kept hold of the right, walking her to the women's bunks.  Brushing her cheek with his lips, he gave her hand one last squeeze and then turned and left.

            "Juhani took first shift with Canderous," Mission informed her as she entered.  She threw her arms around Brinna and embraced her fiercely.  "I'm so happy for you and Carth."

            "Thanks, Mission," Brinna said.

            "We have a lot to talk about but, right now, I want you to try to get some rest."

            "I will," Brinna said, though, in truth, she didn't see how she could possibly rest.  She surprised herself, however, for she slept soundly for hours and didn't stir until Juhani came in and woke her.

            "We are approaching the Star Forge.  Carth is waiting for you," Juhani told her.

            Instantly awake, Brinna jumped out of her bunk and frantically pulled her Jedi robes on before tearing out of the bunkroom and into the cockpit.  The sight that met her eyes stopped her in her tracks and she gripped the back of the pilot's seat for support as her knees turned to water.      

"The Star Forge…it's huge.  I've never seen anything like it before," Carth said, his voice full of grim awe. 

Huge was something of an understatement.  The structure before them was monstrously massive, so large that Brinna felt a wave of hopelessness that nearly overcame her.  How could they possibly hope to destroy it?  She felt sick at heart as she watched the Star Forge siphon power from the star over which it was positioned.  So this was what Revan and Malak had sought, what they had used to build their Sith fleet.

_I did this,_ a voice in her head screamed.  _I found this thing and I used it and now the galaxy is suffering because of it._

"I'm transmitting these co-ordinates to Admiral Dodonna," Carth said, his voice breaking into her anguished thoughts.  "Maybe a quick strike by the Republic can cripple the Sith fleet."

He was silent for a moment as his fingers worked and Brinna continued to stare at the Star Forge.  She could feel its malevolence and it was so strong that she felt certain it would swallow the galaxy whole.

"Message is away.  Now we can just wait for the Republic to show up.  We should be safe here—we're outside their sensor range."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the Hawk was rocked by a sudden impact and Brinna's sense of dread increased.

"We've got company…a small vanguard of Sith fighters, coming in hard!" Carth told her.  "Someone needs to get on those gun turrets!  Take those fighters out before they report our position to the main fleet!"

Brinna turned and fled to the turrets, her body feeling tingly with the fear that they had come this far for nothing.  She was nearly in a panic as she jammed the headset over her ears and seized the controls but she took a deep breath and reached out to the Force, willing herself to calm down and to concentrate on the task before her.  The Force flowed within her but it was difficult to maintain a hold on the light side, there was so much dark side interference due to the presence of the Star Forge.  Gritting her teeth, Brinna maintained her hold and used the Force to guide her movements, taking out the fighters as quickly as she could.  She felt a flood of numbing relief as soon as they were gone but then the ship shimmied once more.  Her headset crackled to life and Carth's voice came on the line.

"We've got problems," he said, his voice thin with tension.  "We've flown into some kind of disruptor field.  All my instruments are jammed…we've got massive overloads on all systems!  I'm picking up a single planet in this system.  I'm gonna try and put us down there.  Hold on – this might be a rough landing."

Brinna closed her eyes and braced herself for impact.  The Ebon Hawk hurtled through space and the force of it knocked her back and pressed on her body, bringing a grimace to her face that she could not control.  There was a violent lurch as they hurtled into the planet's atmosphere and the ship's warning sirens were shrill in her ears as they screamed toward the surface.  She bit down hard to prevent herself from emitting a cry of dismay as the scenery of the planet's surface raced by her screen in a blur.  The ship landed with a bone-jarring thud that caused Brinna to smack her head painfully against the back of her seat.  Tearing the headset off with one hand and rubbing her sore skull with her other, she hurried out of the gun turret and into the common room, where everyone else was gathering.

"Whew!  Talk about your rough landings, Carth!" Mission said and Brinna gaped at her casually baiting tone.  "What's the matter?  You're flying like you've been on an all night Tarisian ale drinking binge!"

"That disruptor field fried our stabilizers – we're lucky we made it down in one piece!" Carth said flatly.  "But if we can't find the salvage to make repairs I won't even be able to get the Ebon Hawk airborne again!"

_More good news,_ Brinna thought.  She tugged at her hair in frustration and winced as it pulled against the sore spot at the back of her head.

Juhani added, in a dry voice, "During our rather rapid descent I noticed the hulls of many crashed ships scattered across the landscape.  Perhaps the parts you need can be found among their wreckage."

"The Cathar's right: this planet's a technological graveyard," Canderous added.  "I saw dozens of downed ships out there.  That disruptor field must have wiped them all out.  But where could it be coming from?"

"Even if we get the stabilizers fixed, we'll have to find and disable the source of that disruptor field before we can take off.  Otherwise we'll just end up crashing again," Carth informed them.

"That disruptor field could wipe out the entire Republic fleet!" Brinna interjected, abandoning her ministrations to her head.

"You're right!" Carth said in dismay.  "That Sith fleet we saw must have some type of protection against the disruptor field.  We have to find a way to disable it or the Republic will be slaughtered!"

Mission moved over to one of the computer panels as T3 began beeping madly.  Catching the gist of what he was trying to communicate, Brinna moved over there as well, and peered over Mission's shoulder.

"T3's picking up massive power fluctuations on the ship's sensors," Mission explained to their companions.  "They seem to be coming from some type of large stone structure to the east…it looks like some kind of ancient temple."

            "Let's go check it out," Brinna said, eager to be doing something.

            "Good idea," Carth agreed.  "If that temple's generating power it probably has something to do with that disruptor field."

            "Hey, don't forget about Bastila, guys!" Mission protested.  "We still have to rescue her, too."

"We haven't forgotten about her.  But we can't do her much good stuck down here.  We have to help ourselves before we can help her," Carth said.

"I only hope we're not too late," Juhani interjected.  "Bastila has been Malak's prisoner for a long time.  If he can turn her to the dark side she will join him and the Sith will be invincible."

"Bastila would never turn to the dark side!" Brinna said in disbelief.  It truly was unfathomable to her.  Bastila, turn to the dark side?   How could that be possible for the Jedi who had refused to join Revan and Malak three years ago, who had faced Revan and used her Force abilities to preserve Revan's body?  How could Bastila have possibly managed to endure all this time with her greatest enemy, adhering to the will of the Council and doing her best to pretend as though Brinna was merely some Republic scout and not the embodiment of everything Bastila despised, only to fall to the dark side?

"I fear Bastila will find the lure of the dark side difficult to resist," Jolee said gravely.  "She is strong in the Force, but she is also impulsive, willful and proud—as you once were, Revan."

Annoyed, Brinna snapped at him, "Don't call me that.  I'm not Revan anymore."

"I am glad to hear you say that.  Now that you know your true identity I was afraid you might slip back over to the dark side.  If Bastila feels as you do there may yet be hope for her," Jolee said.

Carth spoke up, "Well, if Bastila is on the Star Forge like you think, Jolee, then we can't rescue her until we disable that disruptor field.  The sooner we investigate that temple to the east the better.  We can probably find the wreckage of a downed ship along the way.  If we're lucky we can salvage some stabilizers from it to get off this planet."

"I hope everything works out as smooth as you make it sound, Carth," Mission said.

"So do I, Mission.  So do I."

Brinna quickly organized them into groups.  She, Carth, and Canderous would head off to the east to check out the temple while Jolee, Juhani, and T3-M4 formed one team to search for parts and Mission, Zaalbar, and HK47 formed a second.  Once they stepped off the ship, the groups looking for parts headed in opposite directions along the shoreline while Brinna and her companions moved away from the water and toward the temple.

Almost immediately, they were attacked by strange alien creatures.  The fight was intensely savage and, as Brinna and her companions stood panting in the aftermath, they were approached by a couple of Duros, who thanked them and informed them that the creatures were the island's natives.

"They attack any they come across.  They are barbaric savages who feast upon the bodies of the dead!" one of the Duros told them.

Doing her best to fight the violent shudder of revulsion that these words provoked, Brinna questioned them about other life forms on the island and was shocked when the Duros described attacks by Mandalorians.  She asked them if they would like to take shelter on the Ebon Hawk.  Her offer was turned down and the Duros explained that they would instead swim to one of the other islands and attempt to rejoin their fellows.

"Mandalorians on this world?  And they hunt the defenseless for sport?" Canderous asked, sounding disgusted.  "Why not attack these native creatures?  At least they would prove worthy opponents."

            "Well, it certainly seems that we'd best be on our guard," Brinna sighed.

            "Bloodthirsty local savages living on an island also inhabited by Mandalorians," Carth said, taking a look around.  "This is clearly paradise."

            "This island…" Brinna began, her voice faltering a bit.  "It's so beautiful and yet it's so…"

            "Evil?" Canderous offered.  "It doesn't take a Jedi to sense the malice of this place."

            Carth looked concerned.  "Are you okay?  Should we get Jolee or Juhani?"

            Brinna shook her head.  "I'll be okay.  This island won't be any easier for them to take either.  Come on, let's head toward that temple."

            It didn't take long before they ran into another, larger group of the planet's natives.  Brinna had to suppress another shudder at the memory of what the Duros had told her and she did her best to ignore her wild imaginings about the creatures feasting on her own dead flesh.  Though the creatures fought like little more than mindless savages, Brinna could make out some of what they were communicating to one another and it made her break out into a cold sweat.

            "Are you all right?" Carth asked, after she had healed all of them.

            "I think…I think maybe Revan was here once.  I can understand what those creatures are saying to one another," she admitted.

            "Do you remember anything about this place?" Canderous asked.

            "No, I don't.  It's just that I can understand this language, although I have no recollection of ever seeing life forms like this before," she told them.

            "Let's keep moving," Canderous suggested.  "We're not too far from that temple."

            As they rounded the last bend before the temple, Brinna was surprised by Carth grabbing her arm firmly and hauling her back.

            "What is it?" she asked.

            "Rancor—and lots of them," he told her grimly.

            "Rancor?  What are rancor doing here?"

            "Probably the same things that Mandalorians and Duros are doing here," Canderous said.

            "I don't suppose there's any chance of getting them to chew on grenades this time around," Brinna sighed.  At Canderous's look of curious interest, she held up a hand.  "Long story.  We'll fill you in another time."

            "We'll have to face them head on then," Canderous said.

            "I may be able to stun them with the Force.  Even if that is the case, though, we should do our best to isolate them.  I don't really fancy taking on more than one of those things at a time."

            "Let's do it," Canderous said, crouching and making his way slowly around the trees that were screening them.

            It was slow going but the three managed to draw each rancor away from its fellows and fight it on its own.  The rancor proved to be fairly resistant to the Force and so Brinna was obligated to use her abilities to heal her party just as frequently as she was able to use them to stun their foes.  When it was finally over, she gently pried Carth's hand away from his side and saw him wince.

            "That one got you good," she said, trying to control the shaking of her voice as she examined the gashes. 

            "At least you managed to keep all your organs," Canderous said.

            "Don't sound so disappointed," Carth retorted, causing Canderous to smile.

            Brinna's hands were trembling as she laid them against Carth's side and used the Force to heal his wounds.  His body relaxed as the healing took effect and she felt weak with relief as the bleeding slowed and then stopped.

            "Don't tell me you two are actually getting along somewhat," she said, finding her voice once again.

            "Barely tolerating each other's presence is more like it," Carth told her.

            "It's still an improvement," she said, flippantly.  She moved over to Canderous and was glad to see that his wounds were much less serious than Carth's and that his implant was already taking care of them.

            Now that her attention was no longer occupied with worries about rancor, she was able to really look at the temple before them.  Its stones seemed to pulse with an evil life of its own and the thought of entering it made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.  What other choice did they have, though?  She was becoming more certain than ever that the temple must contain the power source that controlled the disruptor field.  Given this, it didn't exactly surprise her to find that the entrance to the temple was sealed with some sort of force field through which she had no hope of breaking.

            "Now what?" Canderous asked.

            "Now we hope that maybe we can find someone to help us," she responded.

            "Sounds likely to me," he said sarcastically.

            "About as likely as an assassin droid, a former Sith lord, a Republic soldier, a Twi'lek teen, an astromech droid, a Mandalorian, a Wookie, and several Jedi traveling together?"

            "Good point.  Let's get moving."

            "There's a path over there," Carth said, pointing.  "We should see where it leads."

            They made their way toward the path but before they'd moved very far, the world was filled with blinding light.  Stunned, Brinna stood blinking and when she finally tried to move, she found her feet were stuck to the ground.  Realizing what had happened, she glanced wildly around her just in time to see that they were completely surrounded by Mandalorians who had concealed their presence with the use of cloaking devices like those the Mandalorians on Kashyyyk had employed.

            Reaching out to the Force, Brinna tried to put them in stasis but with incomplete success.  Her ears ringing from the percussion of several more grenades and her feet stuck to the ground, she was little more than a sitting duck.  Spots danced in front of her eyes but she was able to see that Canderous had some mobility and that Carth was stuck close enough to one of the Mandalorians to be able to strike at him.  Deflecting the Mandalorian blaster bolts with her lightsabres, Brinna focused her attention on her companions, using the Force to heal them and biding her time until the effects of the adhesive grenade wore off and she would once again be able to move.

            Crouching low, Brinna Force jumped over to one of her foes as soon as she was able.  She was dimly aware that she was wounded but she was too focused on the fight to feel much pain.  However, she did make sure to periodically use the Force to heal herself and her companions, as well as to put the Mandalorians in stasis.  It was a long battle and when it was finally over, Brinna's Force abilities were nearly exhausted.

            "Are you okay?" she asked Carth and Canderous.

            "Yes," Carth told her as he wiped away a dribble of blood from the side of his face, where he had a small cut.

            "This had better be the last of this lot," Canderous said coldly as he gave a rather vicious kick to one of the bodies.  "If I find any more of them, I'll make them wish they'd never been born."

            Carth handed her a canteen and she sat down on the grass before taking a greedy sip.  "Give me just a minute.  I need to rest.  I can't afford to be exhausted before we follow that path."

            He nodded and then gently used a medpac on her.  The rush of healing relief she felt suddenly brought to her attention the injuries she'd sustained and she placed a grateful hand over his.  She rested quietly for a few moments and when she opened her eyes again, Carth held a hand out to her and helped her up from the ground.  As soon as Canderous turned his back and started leading them toward the path, Carth leaned over and brushed a kiss over her forehead.  He caressed her cheek and then took her hand and led her after Canderous.

            The path led them to another structure, this one surrounded by bolts of electricity that buzzed loudly.  She and Carth exchanged a glance and then carefully moved closer.

            "There's a gap here," she pointed out to her companions.  Cautiously, she moved into the gap but couldn't resist the urge to close her eyes and tense up, certain she would soon feel several thousand volts running through her body.

            To her relief, this wasn't the case and, instead, a holo appeared and asked, "You are not Rakata…  What is your business here, off-worlder?"

Cutting right to the chase, she replied, "I seek the Star Forge."

"You…you are Revan!" the holo responded, in apparent disbelief.  "The council wishes to speak with you.  You may enter."

"I have been here before," she said to her companions, her tone flat.  She was dreading what she would soon be hearing.

Once inside the compound, they found life forms resembling those that had repeatedly attacked them and, yet, these aliens were not like the others they'd encountered.  There was a slight darkness about them but the darkness was tempered and Brinna could sense not only their guardedness over her return but also the flicker of hope that still resided within them.

"We of the Elder Council did not expect to see you again, Revan," one of them greeted her.  She couldn't help the slight grimace that crossed her face at their use of this name.  "We thought you had betrayed us.  Why have you returned to our village after all this time?"

"I'm not Revan anymore.  That part of me is gone.  I'm Brinna Warrim now," she responded.

"Your words are confusing.  We recognize you: you are the one called Revan.  You are the one who came here before—you and Malak, the one who served you.  You promised to help us.  In exchange for our aid you swore to destroy the ancient evils of our Rakata ancestors!  Are you saying this means nothing to you now?" the Rakata replied, sounding incensed.

"My mind was destroyed.  My memories were lost," she replied.

"Hmm…we do sense something different about you.  Something that has changed.  You are not the same as you were before.  Perhaps your memory has been lost."

She could feel that the Rakata were wary but she also knew that they felt there was truth to her protests that she'd lost her memory.  Their belief in the truth of her words only continued to grow as she questioned them about Revan's visit.

The Rakata identified themselves as the priest caste of the Infinite Empire, which had existed some 20,000 galactic standard years ago.  As Brinna translated this bit of information to her companions, she could hear them breathe in sharply in disbelief and she couldn't blame them.  For as advanced as the Republic liked to think itself, their best weapons were no match for the Rakata weaponry that had been created so many thousands of years ago.

According to the Rakata, three years ago, Revan and Malak had landed on their planet just as accidentally as Brinna and her crew had.  While searching for a way off the planet, Revan and Malak had found the priests, who called themselves the Elder.  The Elder explained that crashes were common and that this was how the rancor had come to their planet.  Apparently, the more savage Rakata were also descendents of the Infinite Empire, though they were of the lower castes.  Their tribe was led by a Rakata called The One.  He and his followers had taken to training the rancor, which would explain the creatures' odd behavior.

Revan and Malak had also sought entrance to the temple so that they could disable the disruptor field.  The Elder themselves were unable to enter because only those who were Force sensitive could go inside.  Force sensitivity had left the Elder long ago but they were able to lower the force field that protected the temple entrance.  They told Brinna that they did not trust her and would not lower the force field unless she proved her sincerity to them by defeating the tribe of The One.  Though their superior technology had kept them safe, they feared the opposing tribe as they were too close for comfort to the past for which the Elder claimed to be atoning.  She wasn't entirely satisfied with this arrangement but it seemed she would need their help and so she agreed.

"They said that only those who are Force sensitive can enter the temple?" Carth asked as they made their way around the Elders' enclave.  Brinna was eager to speak to the tribe historian so that she could find out more about Revan and Malak's visit.

"That's what they said," she told him.

"But that means…"

"It means you can't come with me," she said quietly, stopping and looking at him.

His face tightened.  "I don't want you to…"

Laying a finger against his lips, Brinna shook her head and he quieted.  "I don't want to go without you either, Carth, but if it's the only way it will have to be done."

He didn't protest further but she knew him well enough to know that he was extremely dissatisfied.  She wasn't feeling any better about it herself; the last thing she wanted was to be separated from him.  The very thought of it made the back of her neck prickle.

Turning a corner, Brinna was surprised to find herself in a room that was ringed with cages holding prisoners.  Near the center she found an Elder researcher and when she approached him, he immediately greeted her, "You have returned at last, Revan.  I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you in the Temple."

"You know me?" she asked, looking around the room to see if anything would ring a bell.  Nothing did.

            The researcher explained that he had met her during her last visit and that, at that time, she had inquired about his research.  He patiently explained to her once more that he was researching the genetics of the Rakata to try to figure out why their Force abilities had been lost.  He thought that if he could isolate the gene that caused Force sensitivity, he might be able to breed it back into his people.

            Looking around the room once more, Brinna realized that the captives were his research subjects and she found that this did not sit entirely well with her.  When she expressed this, the researcher told her that he had resorted to using captives because all of his messengers had been killed when they had gone looking for volunteers.  Brinna wasn't entirely comfortable with this answer but she had seen for herself the behavior of the other Rakata and she could easily believe that messengers had been mercilessly slaughtered.

            "He wants you to find information in the temple?" Canderous asked, as they left the room.

            "Yes," Brinna confirmed.  "He said that he hopes to use the information in the Elders' attempts to reunite their tribes and claim a place in the universe."

            "Do you think that's a good idea?" Carth asked.

            Brinna sighed.  "I'm not sure.  But if Revan can have the chance to redeem herself, should I really deny it to these Rakata?  They seem to feel a deep sense of regret for what their civilization did in the past and I can't help but feel that maybe I should give them the benefit of the doubt."

            "Maybe," Carth said, but he didn't sound entirely convinced.  "But I guess there's no point in discussing it now, is there?  We'll need to get into that temple first."

            "One last stop at their historian, then.  I want to make sure I'm as prepared for this as I can possibly be."

            Carth once again looked unhappy and Brinna could feel a pain in her heart.  If she thought about going into the temple without him, it made her knees weak and so she was trying her best to focus on the task at hand.  When it came time to enter the temple, she would do it and she would see to it that she disabled the disruptor field.  They had come too far, sacrificed too much for her to fail now and though the fear that she might indeed fail was powerful, she felt she might be able to stomach it if she instead focused her attentions on her determination.

            "Greetings once again, Revan," the historian said when she finally stumbled upon him.  "I am glad that you have returned.  I couldn't believe that you had betrayed us, despite what the Council said."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember you," Brinna said, squirming.  It was so uncomfortable to be amidst people who remembered her and not have any memory of them.  What was worse, they told her some truly terrible things about her past with seeming casualness and Brinna found herself once again agonizing over her true identity.  It was so easy for her to pretend that she was redeemed, that she was now a champion of the light when she was surrounded by those who had never seen her as anything else.  To be surrounded by those who knew something different of her nature was to feel an increased awareness of Revan's culpability, and she found that it was becoming difficult to reject Revan's culpability as her own.

"My name is Orsaa.  I am the Keeper of History for the Elders.  The last time you were here you had many questions for me."

Like the researcher, Orsaa was happy to repeat himself for her benefit.  She learned that the Infinite Empire had been destroyed by war, plague, and slave rebellion and that all of these things had been brought about because of the hubris and depravity of their civilization.  The devastation of weapons of mass destruction had driven most of the Rakata underground.

"Inside the Temple of the Ancients, our ancestors were safe from the devastation that forced the other Rakata to flee underground," Orsaa explained.  "We emerged from the Temple to find an empty and ruined land.  At last we understood the terrible power of our own technology.  To ensure it could never be unleashed upon us again, we sealed the ancient knowledge within the Temple." 

It wasn't hard for Brinna to imagine what it must have been like for the Elder for her own situation was rather similar to theirs.  Hidden away in their temple and ignorant of what had come to pass on the outside, the shock when they had emerged and been faced with the proof of the consequences of their own actions must have been great indeed.

The position of the Elder was further clarified for her when Orsaa explained that they feared what The One would do with the knowledge of the ancients if he were to enter the temple.  The Elder had chosen not to fight their brethren and had, instead, retreated into their compound and isolated themselves in order to prevent The One the entrance to the temple that he sought.

When Brinna asked him about the Star Forge, he told her that their knowledge of it had been lost.  Orsaa said the Elder had hoped to destroy it but were incapable of doing so themselves.  When Revan and Malak had arrived on their planet, the Elder had allowed the Jedi entrance into the temple to gain the knowledge to destroy the Star Forge.  However, Revan and Malak had not destroyed it but, rather, had harnessed the power of the Star Forge themselves.

"There's nothing else for it," Brinna told her companions as they left the Keeper and headed for the compound exit.  She was troubled by what she had learned of Revan's—her—past.  The temple seemed more menacing than ever to her.  "We'll have to confront The One."

"The fun never stops when I'm with you, Jedi," Canderous told her.

"Tell me about it," she sighed, rubbing her aching head.  "Let's get this done.  The longer we're down here, the more peril the Republic is in.  We need to get into that temple as soon as we possibly can or there will be no hope."

"At least we'll then only have to face the Dark Lord of the Sith in his weapons factory.  Should be a piece of cake," Canderous said, sarcastically.

"Afraid, are you?" she asked him.

"Of course I am.  Anyone in their right mind would be.  Did you think I was going to tell you that warriors never feel fear?"

Brinna couldn't help but smile.  "Yeah.  I'm glad that you proved yourself to have emotions after all."

"I have plenty of emotions," Canderous assured her.  "A lot of them center around contempt for the Mandalorians we've come across.  The rest center around my annoyance with having to carry you and Soldier here in a fight."

"I'll remember that the next time you need me to Force heal you," Brinna retorted.

The group fell silent as they made their way from the south beach to the north.  Brinna didn't like the idea of exterminating the other Rakata and she hoped against hope that they would listen to reason.  The more she thought about all the things she had done on this mission, the more uneasy she felt.  Though she had made certain to fight only when necessary and only as a means of defending herself and her companions, she couldn't help but reflect on all those she had killed up to this point.  The thought of the blood she had on her hands, of the untold millions who had died first at the hand of Revan and now at that of Brinna Warrim made her feel as if she were a thousand years old.  A great weariness descended upon her and she wondered if she would ever be able to reconcile herself with all the killing she had done on this mission.  She knew it had all been done for the greater good, knew that if they succeeded in destroying the Star Forge they would protect untold millions of others, but she wondered how anyone at war was ever able to come to terms with what they had done.  Glancing at Carth, she resolved that if she should have the chance, she would ask him.  She knew there had to be more to it than the simple answers that he had given Canderous.  She would ask him to help her, would ask him to teach her how to come to terms with all the evil she had done in the service of good.

As soon as the group neared the shore where the Ebon Hawk had landed, they were assaulted by a group of the hostile Rakata.  The warriors fought savagely and, for the first time, Brinna felt a glimmer of the terror that lurked just outside the walls of the Elder.  It was as if the two tribes were each a mirror image of the other. 

These ferocious warriors who were attacking them represented the savagery of their race.  They were characteristic of the total lack of foresight once shown by the Rakata, of the civilization that was determined to come out on top whatever the cost.  In that respect, they were like the Sith. 

As for the Elder, they were the half of the Rakata that was capable of self-evaluation and self-reflection.  They had gained wisdom and understood the consequences of their actions—or at least that was the appearance they gave.  Who could say whether they would continue on their path to repentance?  Brinna was not entirely comfortable with the idea of handing them the technology and information that they sought but, then, she also felt that they deserved a chance.  She had to believe in redemption, had to swear wholeheartedly that it was possible or what would become of her?  She had to give them her trust; she had to take that leap of faith.  How else could she ever expect anyone to do the same for her?

"Looks like we shouldn't expect a friendly reception," Carth said grimly, when the battle was finally over.

"Word travels fast," Canderous remarked.  "Seems the Elder have reason to worry, if these Rakata are already aware of where our loyalties lie."

Brinna sighed.  "From what the Elder said, I didn't exactly expect the others to welcome us with open arms but I had hoped we might be able to negotiate with them."

"They don't want to negotiate, Brinna," Carth said softly.  "They want to destroy."

It was as if he had read her mind.  She wondered if it was something in her face or something in her voice that had given her away—or did he simply know her that well already?

"Soldier's right," Canderous added.  "These Rakata are little more than animals.  They're only slightly more evolved than the rancor they train.  I think we can expect more of the same as we approach their enclave."

"Then let's just get it over with," Brinna said, squaring her shoulders and tightening her grip on her sabres.

Sure enough, when they found the enclave at last, they were immediately attacked by a group of Rakata and their two rancor beasts.  "We have seen you, Interloper!" one of them cried.  "You are a servant of the Elders.  By order of The One you must die!"

"I have no idea what they said but I gather it wasn't friendly," Canderous said, as he lunged for the closest rancor.

Brinna grimaced and use the Force to put as many of the creatures as possible in stasis and then she joined her comrades in the battle. 

They moved immediately into the enclave when their attackers had been dispatched.  As predicted, they had to fight their way through.  Though the enclave looked a great deal like that of the Elders, these other Rakata lived quite differently.  Their enclave was filthy and reeked of blood.  With every step, Brinna could hear bones crunching under her feet, apparently from the Rakatas' meals.  She made the mistake of examining some of the bones during a short respite and found that several of them were distinctly human.  She kept her eyes straight ahead from that point on.

At last, they found themselves in a large, circular room that appeared to be an arena.  There wasn't much time for examining it for as soon as they set foot into it, a Rakata who was attired differently from the others cried, "The Black Rakata shall never fall to you!" and then pulled a lever.  Much to her dismay, Brinna saw that the lever was the release for several cages, each of them holding a rancor.  Calling upon the Force once more, Brinna lost herself in the battle.

"I take it that was The One," Carth said, when the battle was finally over.  He used his toe to nudge the body of the Rakata that had pulled the lever.  His right arm clutched his left side and she could see blood oozing from several wounds.

Canderous also looked rather worse for the wear as he wiped an impatient hand across his swollen and bleeding lower lip.  "If I never see another rancor, it will be too soon."

Brinna went to each of her companions in turn, using her rather depleted Force abilities to heal their wounds.  When she had finished with Carth, he brushed a gentle finger over her jaw line and she smiled tiredly at him.

"There's something over there," Canderous said, his voice low.  He pointed toward one of the niches that were set back off the room.  Brinna had thought they were simply cages for the rancor but as she looked where he indicated, she saw that he was right.

Indicating to her companions that they should follow, Brinna immediately headed over to the niche.  Bile rose in her throat as they drew close enough to see that there were four Rakata in the niche, three of whom were impaled upon long, sharp poles.  The lone survivor looked as though he had been used as a plaything for the rancor, his body so covered in blood and festering wounds that Brinna marveled that he was still alive.

"You…you have saved me from the savages and their war beasts…" the Rakata greeted them, his voice so hoarse and filled with pain it was difficult for her to understand him.

"You are the only surviving prisoner?" she asked.

"Yes…  Of the four of us that they had captured, only I remain…"

"I was sent by the Council to save you."

"I don't know what I could have done if you had not come.  I suppose I would be dead now, like the others they captured with me.  Thank you for saving me.  I shall attempt to return to the Enclave on my own.  I will tell the Council of what you have done."

She reached a hand out to stop him but her protests died on her lips.  As injured as he was, the Rakata was moving with incredible swiftness and Brinna imagined he was eager to get away from this place as quickly as he could.  It was a sentiment that she shared. 

Brinna and her companions searched the enclave swiftly, looking for anything that might be of use to them, and then headed back for the south beach.  Exhaustion was setting in but the more time that passed, the more she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin.  She just wanted to get to the Temple and then to the Star Forge, to end this once and for all.  They met some opposition on their way back to the Elder enclave but it wasn't anything as serious as what they'd faced in the Black Rakata enclave and it didn't take them long to reach their destination.

"Revan, you are back," one of the Elder greeted her as soon as she, Carth, and Canderous stepped through the doors.  "Our scout has told us of how you rescued him.  His injuries are severe, but we believe he will survive.  We are grateful for what you have done."

"So now will you help me?" she asked, locking her gaze with his.  It wouldn't have surprised her if they said no and so she didn't bother to hide her desperation.  It was imperative that they know she was sincere because she had no idea what she would do if they refused to help her.

"We must discuss this in greater detail.  We must have some privacy, Revan.  We will return when our deliberations are done."

The Rakata turned to leave and Brinna gave her companions a quick translation of the conversation.

"So they want us to stand around here cooling our heels while they debate?" Carth asked, tugging at his hair in apparent frustration.

"Can you really blame them?" she asked, softly.  "I didn't exactly earn their trust, did I?"

Without saying another word, Carth reached for her hand and held it gently in his own.  The warmth of his touch helped ease some of the tension she was feeling.  The three of them stood without any further comment until the Rakata returned and though they had only deliberated for a short time, it felt to Brinna like they had been gone forever.

"Revan, you have rescued a member of our tribe from The One at great personal risk," the Rakata began.  "We believe this action shows you have truly changed since your last visit here.  The Council has decided we will trust you once more. 

"For many generations we have sought a way to enter the Temple and discover the means to destroy the Star Forge.  But only those who can command the Force—those like you—can enter the Temple of the Ancients.  We no longer have that power.  That was why we helped you the last time you were here.  But you cannot enter the Temple without our help, Revan.  Only the ancient rituals of our people can lower the shield for you to enter.  You need us as much as we need you, Revan."

"Looks like we'll be working together, then," Brinna said, feeling herself go limp with relief.  Carth was still holding her hand and he gave it a quick squeeze before releasing it.

"For our own sake, and that of the entire galaxy, we hope you truly mean to atone for your past evil.  When you are ready, Revan, we will take you to the Temple.  But the Temple is a place of sacred power.  If you are to enter, you must do so alone, in the tradition followed by our Rakata ancestors for the past thousand generations."  
            "Why do I have to go in alone?" Brinna asked, glancing at Carth out of the corner of her eye.  Though he and Canderous didn't understand a word of what was being said, she realized too late that her gesture had alerted them that something was amiss and they both suddenly drew themselves into stiff stances and stared intently at her.

"When you were last here we broke the ancient tradition.  We allowed you and your apprentice to enter the Temple together, and it brought untold suffering to the galaxy.  We believe you truly wish to destroy the Star Forge this time.  But the lesson of the past is not easily forgotten.  We will not defile the sacred ritual a second time; only you alone may enter."

"When I am ready, I will go into the Temple alone," she promised.  It wasn't a solution with which she was very happy but she felt that she owed that much to the Rakata.  They clearly were wary of her, and with very good reason.  It was all well and good for her to walk into their enclave claiming to be someone different but were she in their shoes, how would she react?  Revan had betrayed them in a very profound way and she could sense that, though the Rakata believed her to be sincere, they were also desperate and it was likely this desperation, more than any modicum of trust they might have in her, that was driving them to help her.  They knew that Malak was using the Star Forge, knew that it would destroy the galaxy, and so what other solution was there?  They had found themselves in the exact same predicament as the Jedi, when Bastila had captured Revan.

"Then it is done.  You have only to let us know when you are ready to enter the Temple."

"I want to enter the Temple now," she answered promptly.

"The time has come for you to atone for your past crimes, Revan.  But the task ahead will be difficult.  Those you call dark Jedi—followers of your old apprentice—now dwell within the Temple."

"There's dark Jedi inside the Temple?  How did they get in there?"  The information came as a surprise to her, though she had to admit that it probably shouldn't have.  Dread caused her to break out once more in a cold sweat as she realized what a monumental task she had before her.  It was bad enough to know that she would have to face Malak but to find now that, in order to do so, she would have to fight her way through a veritable army of dark Jedi…  If it was even possible, the situation suddenly seemed bleaker than ever.

"The last time you and Malak entered the Temple you must have found the controls to raise and lower the shields.  Those inside can lower the barrier to allow other Force users to enter and exit the Temple.  But they will not be able to prevent us from using the ritual to gain you access.  Once inside, however, we can do nothing to help you."  Though the Rakata had delivered the information in a stern voice, beneath his censure she could sense some sympathy for her predicament. 

"Go to the Temple now," the Elder continued.  "We will meet you there once the ritual has been prepared.  Remember: in accordance with the ancient Rakata tradition you must enter the Temple alone."

With those words, the Rakata left to prepare for the ritual and Brinna could feel her companions practically boring holes in her with their gazes, as they awaited her explanation of what had happened.  She took a moment to compose herself and to try to decide how to present the information in a way that they would accept but she was at a loss.  How could she possibly tell them what the Rakata had told her and expect that they wouldn't argue with her?  Giving up, Brinna admitted to herself that she couldn't think of any way of making the information acceptable to them and so she decided to simply tell them.

"They've decided they'll help me," she told them, and she could see the relief she had felt mirrored on their own faces.  "As I told you before, though, they said that only those who are Force sensitive can enter, so that means that neither of you can come with me."

"How do you know they're telling you the truth?" Canderous demanded.

"Why else do you think they haven't gone in there themselves?" she asked him.

"I still don't like it.  How do you know you can trust them?  I think at this point you'd be willing to accept anything anyone says to you about Revan, you're feeling so guilty."

"I don't know that I can trust them, not for certain," she told him flatly.  "But I don't sense any deception from them.  They're desperate for the Star Forge to be destroyed and they can't do it themselves.  They really didn't want to let me in because Revan broke her promise to them.  They don't entirely believe me when I tell them I'm someone different but I can tell that they feel they don't have any other choice."

"What are they doing now?" Carth asked, before Canderous could say anything else.

            "They're preparing the ritual they need to perform to lower the shields.  They told me to go to the Temple and wait for them there."

            "Right.  We need to get back to the Ebon Hawk and tell the others.  We'll send Jolee and Juhani to help you and…" his voice trailed off as he noticed her shaking her head.  He tensed and she could see Canderous setting his jaw.

            "What?" the Mandalorian demanded.

            "You can't send Jolee and Juhani," she said.

            "Why not?" Canderous asked, his voice rising dangerously.  "You said only those who are Force sensitive can enter and, the last time I checked, the old man and the Cathar fit the bill."  
            "I promised the Rakata I would go in alone.  Their ancient traditions dictate that the Temple must be entered alone."

            "I don't care a damn about their traditions," Carth said, his voice trembling with barely suppressed fury.  His face had gone white at her words and she found that she couldn't bear to meet the intensity of his gaze.

            "They wouldn't lower the shields unless I agreed to go in alone," she told him, her voice pleading.  "They don't trust me.  They said they allowed Malak to enter with Revan when they were here and look where that got them."

            "What aren't you telling us?" Canderous demanded, his voice fearsome.

            "There are dark Jedi in the Temple.  Malak found a way to let them in," she said.

            "There is no way in hell I'm letting you go in there alone!" Carth exploded.  "It's bad enough that I can't go with you but now you're trying to tell me that you can't take anyone else?  No!  Brinna, no!  You can't go in there alone!"

            "Carth is right," Canderous agreed and it was his use of the name that hit Brinna over the head like a hammer.  She knew then just how afraid for her they were.

            "There's no other way," she cried, tears springing to her eyes.  "I don't want to do this alone either but there's no other choice!  We need them to do the ritual or there's no getting into that Temple.  If we don't get in, Malak wins and we all die!"

            "If you go in there alone, you'll die," Canderous snarled.

            "I have to at least try, don't I?" she shouted back.

            "You don't have to do this," Carth told her, his voice breaking.  "You don't have to throw your life away like this, Brinna.  Dammit, haven't you done enough?  I know you feel guilty for what Revan did but what sense is there in you taking risks like this?  You can't undo what she did!"

            "And that kills me," she told him, the tears flowing freely now.  "But not nearly as much as it would kill me if I refused to do this and if I had to have millions of new deaths on my conscience.  Maybe I am being reckless, I don't know.  But what I do know is that they will refuse to help us if I don't agree to go in there alone and since getting into that Temple is the only hope we have of trying to stop Malak, I have to do it.  There isn't any other way."

            It frightened her to look at Carth, to see how utterly destroyed he looked.  It reminded her too much of what she had seen in him before their encounter with Saul.  It reminded her too much of what she had seen when Saul had told him the truth of her identity.

            He moved so fast that it startled her and he caught her face so firmly in his hands that it was almost painful.  "I can't lose you," he told her, his voice a savage whisper.

            "And I can't lose you," she told him, moving her hands to cover his.  "But that's what will happen if I don't try.  I'll lose all of you.  I'll lose everything."

            Carth squeezed his eyes tightly shut and lowered his forehead to hers, defeated.  "Brinna," he said, that one word filled with fear and anguish.

            "Promise me that you'll save them.  You, Jolee, Juhani, Canderous…  You can all still help the Republic if I fail.  And Mission…  Carth, someone has to protect Mission.  Swear to me that you'll do it.  Swear to me that if I don't come out of that Temple you'll fly the Ebon Hawk off this planet and do everything you can to save them, to save yourself."

            "You can't ask me to do this!  You can't!  You know…you know…  I can't do this."

            "You can, Carth.  You have to," she told him, firm resolve now in her voice.  She hated having to ask him to walk away, knew what it would cost him, but she had no alternative.  If something should happen to her, there was no way she was going to allow him to fall back into the fugue he'd been in after his wife had died.  "You know that if there was another way, I'd take it.  You know that.  You have to do this for me, Carth.  I haven't asked anything of you but now I am."

            His anguished gaze nearly undid her but she met it and kept it until he finally said, "I will."

            "Thank you," she told him, brining his hand to her lips and kissing his knuckles.

            He pulled her close and kissed her fully on the lips, ignoring Canderous.  The kiss was urgent and he clung to her as if he would never let her go.  She indulged herself and clung to him in return for a moment before forcing herself to gently break away from him.

            "Nothing in the universe will keep me from you, Carth," she promised him in a fierce whisper.

            "Be careful," he said and she could tell from the strangled sound of his voice that it was all he could manage.

            As the three of them turned and left the enclave, Brinna let Carth get a bit ahead of them before reaching out and grabbing Canderous forcefully by the forearm.

            "You will give me your word, Canderous.  You will make sure that he gets off this planet alive or so help me, I will haunt you for the rest of your days."

            "You have my word, Brinna," Canderous told her, his voice even more gravely than normal.  "You don't have to threaten me to get it.  But you won't need my word anyway.  You'll see Soldier off the planet yourself."

            She gave his arm a grateful squeeze and locked eyes with him for a moment before they continued.  There was no doubt in her mind that Canderous would keep his promise to her, if it came to that.  Knowing that Carth was at least somewhat safe assuaged her fears a bit, but it was only the slightest sliver of relief for she knew that if she failed, no promise would matter.  All would be lost.


	34. The Temple

The walk back to the temple seemed to pass by with impossible swiftness. As each step brought them closer to its menacing edifice, Carth's face got tighter and tighter and the strain that the very thought of leaving was causing him was painfully evident to Brinna. A hard lump formed in her throat and she found it difficult to keep control over her emotions. Canderous looked grim and he kept eyeing Carth as if he expected the pilot to fling himself into the field that barred entry to the temple's doors.

When they reached the temple, Brinna turned to the two men. "You have to get that ship up and running. I don't know how long it'll take me to get that field down but the ship has to be ready to go the second I return to that beach."

Carth swallowed convulsively and Brinna quickly looked away. That small gesture told her everything she needed to know: she felt certain that he didn't lack faith in her, but she also knew that he was deathly afraid that she would not be returning.

"Don't worry," Canderous told her gruffly. "See to it that you do your part. We'll do ours."

Brinna was unable to muster the strength to speak any more words as her companions turned to leave her. She gave Canderous a curt nod, which he returned in kind, before he walked swiftly away, leaving her with Carth. Oblivious to the Elders, she stared into his eyes, finding it difficult not to avert her gaze from the pain she saw within them. He seemed as incapable of speech as her for he lifted a gentle hand to her cheek, eyes closing as a muscle along his jaw line spasmed, and then he, too, left. His gait was jerky, telling Brinna that he was doing all that he could to hold himself together. As soon as they were out of sight, Brinna approached the Elder guide.

"I will begin the ritual," he told her. "It will take many hours, but when it is complete you must be ready…the shields will not stay down for long. Prepare yourself."

Brinna nodded in response and then settled down in the grass, trying her best to calm her nerves as the Rakata began their strange and rhythmic chanting.

Waiting was difficult. The dark side was very strong on this strange planet, perhaps even stronger than it had been on Korriban. The temple looming before them was an edifice of dread, and Brinna wondered if the Elder was as aware of this as she was. She tried her best not to imagine herself in the garb of Darth Revan, lusting at the thought of the dark power of the temple, the knowledge held within it. Once again, she felt that strange sense of disconnect. Though she now understood that the memory she'd had when she had met Malak for the first time—the one where Revan removed her mask—was a memory of this planet, of this temple, she felt no sense of familiarity with the place.

The Elder guide's voice jolted her out of her reverie. "Wait…someone is coming!"

As she rose and turned, Brinna sensed the presence of her Jedi brethren and she felt a mixture of relief and frustration. Hadn't Carth and Canderous told them that they could not join her?

"Wait... you can't go in there alone!" Jolee called to her.

"I have to go in there alone," Brinna explained, exasperated. "It's the Rakata tradition."

"We have had a... a premonition," Juhani informed her. "The Force has given us a vision. There is great danger within the Temple. We cannot let you face it alone."

Brinna felt a chill at Juhani's words. She knew, of course, that the temple would be dangerous, but the thought that Juhani and Jolee had received a vision from the Force gave her a very sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"You might be walking into a trap... maybe Malak himself is waiting inside," Jolee told her. "Even if he isn't, that temple will be crawling with Dark Jedi. You'll need all the help you can get."

The incensed voice of the Elder guide broke into their argument. "No other can go with you into the Temple. You must enter alone. That is the way of the ancient ritual."

Brinna was less inclined than ever to enter the temple on her own, but time was short and it set her on edge to see that the Rakata had ceased their chanting. She fervently hoped that they wouldn't have to start all over again. It was imperative that she get rid of her companions as quickly as possible. "Jolee - you can't come! The Rakata won't allow it."

Jolee was not to be so easily persuaded, nor was Juhani. They were insistent that they were not going to let her enter alone, that they would not allow her to face the temple on her own. Jolee told her to get the guide to let them in as well.

Admitting defeat, Brinna turned to the Elder guide and told him that she wasn't going into the temple alone. This, of course, was not something he was pleased to hear, but Brinna was able to persuade him that she could not defeat the Star Forge on her own. This was no deception: she knew she would need her friends to help her and, in fact, she was relieved that Jolee and Juhani had been so insistent about accompanying her. She could sense that the Elder guide was very reluctant to believe her, but she could also sense his anxiety at the possibility that she might not be able to destroy the Star Forge. It was very obvious to her now that the Elder Rakata truly wanted to do away with the mistakes of their past. Finally, he agreed to allow Jolee and Juhani to enter with her.

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to take a while?" Jolee asked. "Still, we better stay ready. As soon as those shields go down we have to get inside the temple."

It seemed an eternity passed before the Rakata finally managed to lower the shields. Brinna and her companions instantly sprang into action, running immediately for the temple door. Just as they entered, the shield sprang up behind them, sealing them in. Brinna tried her best to ignore the sense of foreboding this inspired.

The first door they encountered was sealed, and there was no visible means of opening it.

"I imagine this door will lead us to the top of the temple," Juhani said, studying it.

"I'll bet that's where the controls for the disruptor field are," Brinna sighed.

"There's nothing for it but to make our way through this temple and see if there's some way of unsealing that door," Jolee remarked.

But this was easier said than done. The temple was absolutely infested with dark Jedi and their attack droids. Though the battles were bad, the part that was truly creepy for Brinna was the fact that every dark Jedi in the temple recognized her. Every time one of them called her Revan, she was almost as taken aback as she had been when she had discovered the truth about her past. Even though she now knew that she had once been Revan, it was still disorienting for her. In her mind, she was and always had been Brinna Warrim. She wondered if she would ever get used to this duality.

Brinna realized with a great sense of relief just how much the presence of her companions meant to her. She had no doubt that she wouldn't have survived battling so many Sith on her own, but she also knew that the moral support they provided her was invaluable. They could sense her distress as each of the dark Jedi greeted her by name, and each time they reached out to her via the Force, doing their best to help soothe her nerves.

They cleared every room on the main floor of the temple, but were unable to find anything that could help them unseal the door to the top. They did, however, find an entrance to the catacombs, and they descended rapidly.

"I hope we will find something down here," Juhani said. Brinna could tell from her tone of voice that the Cathar was tense.

"I sense it, too," Brinna told her.

"So do I," Jolee said. "There's some sort of presence here, but I can't quite put my finger on it…"

"What exactly did you see in your premonition?" Brinna asked her companions.

Jolee and Juhani exchanged a look. "We did not see anything specific," Juhani told her. "But we believe there is great temptation for you here."

"I remember this place," Brinna admitted, rubbing a weary hand over her face. "When Malak told me about my past, I remembered Revan being here. The vision didn't make much sense to me then, but now that I've seen this planet, talked to its natives… Well, I know this is the place. In my vision, Revan was on top of the temple."

"But you don't remember anything about how she got there?" Jolee asked.

Brinna sighed. "No, and I'm not sorry for it. It was like all of the visions I've had, just bits and pieces, bits and pieces that only make sense to me as I retrace Revan's and Malak's footsteps. I don't remember any of the details as to how they got to the planets, what they did when they got there…"

"We will find a way," Juhani said quietly, laying a reassuring hand on Brinna's shoulder.

Grateful for the contact, Brinna smiled slightly at Juhani. Perhaps things might have been easier for them if Brinna's recollections had been clearer, but she felt no regret that they weren't. As far as she was concerned, the less she remembered about Revan, the better. She fervently hoped that she'd never regain any other memories of the former Sith Lord.

The catacombs yielded some lightsaber crystals and a trapped door that was easy enough to work through, thanks to a Sith datapad that they found. There was nothing in the room behind the door other than an old, dusty computer that looked like every other they had so far seen. However, as soon as Brinna approached it, it greeted her aloud.

"Welcome back, Revan. It has been some time since you last accessed my database. I was beginning to wonder if you had been terminated," the computer voice said.

"I'm not Revan anymore. I'm Brinna Warrim," she responded.

"An odd statement, though it does explain certain conflicting data being read by my sensory input systems. I recognize your appearance from your last visit, which is stored in my databanks. However, I am detecting some significant changes in your composition since your last visit. Your neurological patterns exhibit subtle yet substantive alterations in both thought patterns and information processing. These changes have been noted and recorded in my database."

"Your database?"

The computer explained to her that it was self-maintaining and that little of note had been recorded in recent years. It seemed, though, that its data for the epoch during which the Infinite Empire had ruled had been preserved, and Brinna could feel her pulse speeding as she asked the computer to tell her about the Star Forge.

Confirming every one of their worst fears, the computer informed them that the Star Forge was both a factory and a battleship, and that it could produce an entire fleet with very few resources and in a remarkably short amount of time. This solved the mystery of the sudden strength of the Sith fleet, and helped to underscore the fact that, if they didn't destroy the Star Forge as quickly as possible, the Sith would become nigh unstoppable. Even without Bastila's battle meditation, the Republic would have no chance. The Sith would be able to just continue to churn out ship after ship while the Republic watched its resources dwindle until they disappeared completely.

"In many ways, the Star Forge is like a living entity," the computer continued. "It feeds, it hungers, it draws on the energy flowing through all living things—what you called the Force the last time you were here. The ability to feed and consume the living energy of the Force is the key to the Star Forge's power, but ultimately it was also what led to the destruction of the Infinite Empire."  
"What do you mean?"

"The Rakata are by nature a cruel and savage species. The Star Forge fueled itself with the hatred inherent in its own creators, and in doing so it accentuated these traits within the Builders. In your terminology, the Star Forge is a tool of the dark side. It corrupts those who use it so that it can generate greater and greater amounts of negative energy to fuel itself. The Builders thought they were strong enough to control this effect, but they were wrong. They became victims of their own creation, and eventually their hatred turned them against each other. Civil war destroyed the Infinite Empire…a lesson to remember. Only one who is immensely strong in mind and will can harness the power of the Star Forge without suffering a similar fate."

"How can Malak possibly think he can control an artifact of such power?" Brinna asked, her voice hushed with horrified awe.

"Revan thought the same thing, once. Everything that embraces the power of the dark side eventually becomes another of its tools," Jolee told her, his voice grave.

"I can get the genetic data the Rakata requested from this computer, but I'm not sure if I should give it to them," Brinna told her companions. "If they really are cruel and savage by nature, as the computer suggests, is it such a good idea to try to help them breed Force abilities back into their people?"

"Brinna, should we make such judgments about another species?" Juhani asked her. "Do you believe that your own is any less prone to savagery or cruelty?"

"I see what you're saying, Juhani," Brinna faltered. "It's just that…that Revan interfered with so many things and now that I'm here and I have a choice…"

"And that is the key," Jolee told her. "You have a choice. One way or another, you will make this decision and the Rakata will then choose their next action. Revan may have made some bad choices herself, but she is not responsible for the choices made by those who followed her. We all have free will."

"I'll…I'll think about it," Brinna said. She turned back to the computer and asked it about the disruptor field. Just as they suspected, the controls were on the upper level. The computer informed her that she had been unable to access the upper level due to her neurological changes, which had caused a failure in the computer's recognition system. Now that its database had been updated, the computer deactivated the seal on the upper level doors.

As she and the other Jedi hastened their way to the top of the temple, Brinna thought about what they had discussed with regard to the Rakata genetic information. It was a difficult choice. On the one hand, she thought that denying them the data would likely ensure that the Force abilities of the Rakata continued to die out until they disappeared entirely. This meant there would be no risk to the galaxy of their being corrupted once more by the dark side. However, it could also mean that the Elder would eventually be conquered by the more primitive Rakata. By providing the Elder with the data, perhaps they could redeem themselves and neutralize the threat posed by their baser brethren. Wasn't it better for her to do her best to help annihilate a real threat than to worry about a possible threat that might never come to fruition?

_I'm so tired of all this meddling,_ she thought. _Once this is over, I want…_

What did she want? To rejoin the Council? To leave the Council and attempt to lead a normal life? Was such a thing even possible for her? There were so many who recognized her as Revan and, though they were mostly Sith, there was a strong likelihood that word of her past identity would get out. She hardly expected the galaxy to embrace her, to trust in the claim that she had truly changed, that she now sought redemption. Just as Carth had for a while found it impossible to separate Revan from Brinna, so would the rest of the galaxy, of that she was certain.

But these were more or less idle thoughts at this time. For now, she needed to focus on stopping Malak. If she were able to do so, the cost might very well be her own life. This was a price she was willing to pay, if she must. Still, she wanted to survive, wanted to have a chance to seize this life as Brinna and to make something of it.

So deep in thought was she that she didn't initially notice who awaited them at the top of the temple. When her mind finally registered what her eyes were seeing, she stopped dead in her tracks, as did her companions.

"Revan—I knew you'd come for me. Malak thought you might be afraid to enter the Temple again, but he doesn't know you like I do. Not anymore. Not since you've changed," Bastila said to her.

The other Jedi looked different, felt different. Brinna could sense the uneasiness of her companions who could also, undoubtedly, sense the malevolent changes within Bastila. However, they did not have the same connection with her that Brinna had and, as a result, she was certain that she was even more aware of just how profoundly Bastila had changed in the short time she'd been Malak's prisoner.  
"Quickly, Bastila—come with us! We have to escape before Malak arrives!" Juhani told her.

"Escape? You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Lord Malak and the Sith; I am no longer a pawn of the Jedi Council," Bastila scoffed.  
This fall was worse than any other, mainly because Brinna felt so responsible. She remembered all the times she'd been short with Bastila, all the times she'd been downright rude to the other Jedi. She hadn't understood why Bastila was so aloof with her, but now she did. And, yet, Bastila had found it in her heart to attempt to help Brinna, even though she knew what Brinna had once been. Though they had never really had the chance to become friends, Brinna felt responsible for the younger Jedi. She knew firsthand just how the dark side destroyed lives. She didn't want to see Bastila suffer this fate.

"No, Bastila! Don't go over to the dark side!" Brinna said, reaching out to the other Jedi via their bond, flooding the connection with as much compassion as she could.

Dismissively, Bastila told her that the Jedi Council had brainwashed Brinna into believing that the dark side was some terrible entity. Bastila claimed that the masters used fear of the dark side as a tool to control the younger Jedi, that they sought only to dominate those who were strong in the Force, those like Bastila, Malak, and Revan.

Brinna was horrified by the extent of Bastila's indoctrination, and she could sense that her companions were as well. However, she also couldn't deny that Bastila's words caused some spark deep within her, a sense that she had felt throughout their mission, a sense that she should lay claim to her power and use it to crush her enemies.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Brinna did her best to strengthen her connection with Bastila as she told her fiercely, "It's not too late, Bastila! You can still turn away from the dark side!"

"I resisted at first," Bastila said. "I endured the Sith torments with the passionless serenity of a true Jedi, emptying my mind. But after a week of endless tortures I finally saw the truth. Malak forced me to acknowledge my anger and pain. He showed me the liberating power of these emotions. Then he made me see how the Jedi Council has denied me what is mine by right! They wanted me to bow and call them Master and follow their Code and obey their every order. But all the while they were exploiting my Battle Meditation for their own use!"

As Bastila spoke, their bond surged to life, and Brinna could see just what the week of torture had been like for Bastila. It was agonizing to see what the younger Jedi had suffered, and Brinna could feel the color draining from her face as she wondered if Revan had also subjected others to such torment. But she already knew the answer to that question. Though she might no longer have firsthand memories, Brinna knew that Revan had been just as bad as Malak, if not worse. After all, where had Malak learned everything he knew?

And just like that, Brinna knew she was fighting not only for Bastila's salvation, but also her own. She felt a conviction that to fail Bastila would ultimately lead to her own failure as well. "Don't be lured in by these Sith lies, Bastila!" she begged.

"Lies? You are the one living a lie, Revan. The Jedi Council made you into something you are not; they programmed you to be their slave. You used to be Revan, Master of the Sith, but no longer. You are simply a pawn of the Jedi Council and the Republic they serve…like I was until Malak freed me from their shackles! A pity the power you once had is so diluted in you. You could have been as strong as I am now... stronger, even. But that will never happen, now. With the power of the Star Forge Malak will destroy the Republic and conquer the galaxy. And I will be the apprentice at his side—after I prove my worth by killing you!"

Bastila immediately sprang to the attack, and Brinna was forced to defend herself. As her lightsabers flared to life, Brinna could feel the surge in her own power, could sense that she had returned to the level she had once known, Revan's level. This time, however, it was not the dark side that gave her such immense power; it was the light. Though Bastila had said many things that bore some truth, though the power of the dark side was strong in the temple, though Brinna herself felt angry and betrayed by what the Jedi had done to her, she understood that she had made her ultimate choice. Her life belonged to the light side now. Whatever wrongs she had committed in the past, she would do her best to atone for them, here and at the Star Forge. She would not allow herself to be defeated by Bastila. There was too much at stake, too many lives to save—including Bastila's.

The battle raged for a short time, but it was obvious that Brinna would best Bastila if it continued. To Brinna's relief, Bastila relented, admitting, "You are stronger than I would have thought possible, after what the Jedi Council did to you. Seems that Malak was wrong—the power of the dark side is not lost to you after all, Revan."

"I draw my power from the light now, Bastila," Brinna responded. She felt the truth of those words and they gave her power, confidence.

"You can deny what you are, Revan, but you are only fooling yourself. I know the truth. I have seen the shadows inside your mind. Remember: I was there when you nearly died in the trap set by the Jedi Council. I used the Force to preserve your life, Revan. We are forever linked by my actions on that bridge!"

"That is how I know you will come back to the light," Brinna said, her voice calm. And she did know. She knew as surely as she knew that she was really and truly no longer Revan.

"These are not your true feelings, Revan," Bastila said patronizingly. "You are speaking as a tool of the Jedi Council—as I once did. But now I see how the Jedi used us both! The Council tried to exploit the bond between us. They hoped I would draw out your memories to lead them to the Star Forge. We were slaves to their will—like all who follow the Jedi Code! But in our shared visions of the Star Maps I also felt the so-called taint within you. I resisted it at first, but now I embrace the power of the dark side—your dark side!"

Though Brinna did her best to persuade Bastila, it was all for naught. Bastila wanted Brinna to reclaim the mantle of Sith Lord, to take back from Malak what Bastila claimed was Brinna's. But as Brinna thought about the other Jedi's words, memory after memory washed over her. She saw Mission weeping over the fate of Taris, remembered Carth speaking about how he was forgetting his wife's face, saw Juhani agonizing over her belief that she had slain her master. Though the dark side was there, as it always would be, Brinna found it easier than she would have expected to turn her back on the temptation.

"Turn away from this path, Bastila. The dark side leads only to destruction," Brinna told the younger Jedi.

"Bastila, it is not too late for you to be saved," Juhani said. Brinna could sense that Juhani was feeling many of the same things Brinna was. Though she hadn't committed anything like the atrocities that Revan had, Juhani knew what it meant to succumb and then be reborn in the light. "The teachings of the Jedi can lead you from the dark side back into the light and a true understanding of the Force."

"You are beneath my contempt, Juhani," Bastila spat. "When you felt the power of the dark side you fled to a cave like some cowering animal! You know nothing of the Force or its true potential! But you, Revan—the power of the dark side is yours to command! You can use it to destroy Malak! With my help you could rule over the entire galaxy!"

"The Dark Lord Revan is dead. I am a servant of the light now." If Bastila could see past the temptations of the dark side, if she could remember something of what she had been a short time ago, Brinna knew that the young Jedi would feel the truth of these words. But it was not to be.

"You are a pathetic fool, Revan!" Bastila scoffed. "Together we could have defeated Malak and ruled over an Empire, but now I will be at Lord Malak's side instead!"

Before they could stop her, Bastila ran for a nearby spacecraft and took off. No one spoke for several long minutes, and Brinna sensed that they were doing just as she was. Feeling a lump growing in her throat, Brinna watched as Bastila's craft became no more than a speck and then disappeared entirely.

"What will we do now?" Juhani asked. She spoke calmly, as she usually did, but Brinna could hear the undercurrent in her voice. "Now that Bastila has fallen to the dark side, Malak will use her Battle Meditation and the fight will be hopeless."

"The situation is dire," Jolee agreed, his voice taking on a very sober note.

"We can't give up now," Brinna said, ferociously. "Not on the fight against Malak and not on Bastila. I owe her that much."

"My dear, you've taken a lot upon yourself," Jolee told her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I don't want to see this consume you. You did everything you could for Bastila and you can't blame yourself for the way Malak has twisted her."

"Don't you see, Jolee? I failed Bastila. I was angry with her because I thought she was standing in my way. I met her coldness with a coldness of my own because my pride was wounded and this is the end result."

"You cannot simply blame yourself, Brinna," Juhani broke in. "There was tension between you and Bastila. We cannot pretend that we did not feel it, but Bastila did not fall because of you."

"She fell because of her own weakness," Jolee confirmed. "Just as you once did."

Perhaps his words should have given her comfort, but they didn't. Despite what Juhani and Jolee said, Brinna felt that she was greatly to blame for Bastila's fall.

"We're not going to get anything accomplished just standing around here," Jolee said, breaking into Brinna's dark thoughts.

"You're right," Brinna agreed. She moved over to the console controlling the disruptor field, punched a few buttons, and disabled the shield. She felt a slight weight lift off her shoulders once this was done; at least the Republic fleet would not have to deal with the field in addition to Bastila's Battle Meditation.

"We need to get back to the beach and tell the others what's going on," she added, as she hurried back over to her fellow Jedi. "We don't have any time to waste. We've got to get to that Star Forge as quickly as possible. The longer we take, the more time Bastila will have to use her Battle Meditation and the more ships Malak will be able to produce."

Attuning themselves with the Force, the three Jedi moved rapidly out of the temple. They paused for the briefest of moments so that Brinna could supply the Elder outside with the genetic data she had found. As they raced back to the Ebon Hawk, Brinna could sense that her companions were just as anxious as she. Had the others been able to repair the ship? Would they make it to the Star Forge in time? Was there any way of surviving what seemed to be a hopeless fight?


End file.
